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Mary Ritter

 

Member profile details

Membership level
Artist
First Name
Mary
Last Name
Ritter
Artist's Statement
Some artists focus on sea life or ships; others on landscapes or working in the abstract. Throughout my life, I looked across fields and pastoral scenes of the Midwest towards farmhouses, barns and grain elevators and thought what a pretty picture I could paint someday. My early years were spent on our family farm, climbing trees, swinging from a favorite tree branch, or playing in the treehouse that my brother scrabbled together in the woods we loved. My style started with simple folk art themes as my favorite artists were Charles Wysocki and Grandma Moses. Later in life, with the chance to visit art museums around the world, artists that influence me grew immensely and are quite varied.
Having learned the basics of thread and fabric as a youngster from my mother, I approached textile illustration by employing many techniques, and I continue to experiment with a variety of techniques. Traditional quilting did not satisfy my creative bent, so I was thrilled to I discover textile art. Then, I traveled abroad and viewed the ancient architecture in the cities of Europe, digitally capturing the arches, windows, doors and details and returning home to create art from that base. I wish to create pieces that capture people’s imaginations as they view the common scenes around them, as well as the vast surrounding world, as they travel in reality or in their dreams. My art, most of all, is meant to tell a story. My career took me into the digital world in the 1990s, and that enhanced the digital approach in my art. With the digital camera available, I began to take a multitude of photographs. When I retired and began to look at quilting as a way to fill my days, I was thrilled to discover textile illustration. Because I was adept at working with fabric and thread, both by hand and machine, I could envision creating my visions with fabric rather than paint and canvas.
Artist's Bio
I have taken the creative approach all of my life, thinking, “There has to be a way to handle this task in a way that can be fun!" I received my BA from the University of Minnesota; later, I completed my Master of Arts in Education at the University of California, Sacramento. Classroom instruction was always approached in an imaginative way, culminating in yearlong themed instruction, “From Wagon Wheels to Cyber Space”, in my instruction of fifth-graders who were studying early American History. You can find one of my lessons by googling my name under the Library of Congress where I completed a fellowship. Technology became an obsession when I attended the NASA Classroom of the Future at Jesuit University in Ohio for two months. have studied design and fabric dyeing from Elizabeth Barton’s online classes; beading and design from Lyric Kinard; painting from Shelly Stokes and Susan Stein; improvisation from Katie Pasquini Masopust; and mixed media techniques from Deborah Fell.
Member Photo
Sample Artwork Thumbnail
Preferred Mediums
  • Acrylic
  • Collage/Assemblage
  • Computer Illustration
  • Fiber Art
  • Mixed Media
  • Pottery/Raku
Areas of Interest
  • Landscape
  • Plein air
  • Portraits
  • Still Life
 

Member photo albums (3 Albums)


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