How and where did your artistic practice begin?
My mom was an artist, so I was already drawn to making things and using my hands at a young
age. When I was four years old my mom passed away, so art since then has been a way for me to connect with her through creative comforts. In high school, I found my mom’s old figure drawings from her college art classes in the basement of my dad’s house. These sentimental
histories rooted in visual artifacts have no doubt inspired my path to a career in archives. Currently, I work for Conrad Schmitt Studios in New Berlin – a place that perfectly combines my love for art and history, while also making great use of my graduate degree in Art History from UW-Milwaukee. I also continue to teach art classes and have previously taught college art history.
How do you plan your pieces and how do you decide when they’re finished?
I will often create compositional studies and use view finders when working in plein air, but I chose my subject based on what I want to look at or feel particularly drawn to at that moment in time. I try to not spend more than 5-6 hours on a plein air work, and primarily utilize an alla prima approach, or limit my work to one sitting. I find that 1-3 hours have been sufficient to create what I consider my most successful plein air studies. It’s hard to dictate what “finished” is, as I find this is different for every piece. I try to stop adding material when I get stuck or feel that the pictorial illusion is compelling. My primary considerations when figuring when to stop include evaluating the effectiveness of atmospheric perspective, value, contrast, and emphasis – distinguishing a clear focal point with a suggested hierarchy of where to look.
What draws you to your specific/preferred medium?
Some of my favorite artists are Impressionists like Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas who often worked in pastel. Their mark making and color choices are what make this material so visually appealing for me. I appreciate the freedom to scribble with bold colors to give an impression of something I observe, rather than labor over a mimetic copy.
Who were your mentors or what resources did you use to learn your medium?
I took my very first pastel class in high school with Rosalie Beck through the MIAD Summer
Pre-College program, convincing me to go to school for art. I went on to study painting in
college and have since had countless instructors who have greatly influenced my practice. I’mthankful to say that I now am an instructor in MIAD’s Pre-College/Continuing Education Program, where I teach classes of my own. I also currently hold memberships in several pastel organizations, which provide support to artists working in this medium. Last year I was awarded Signature Membership in the Wisconsin Pastel Artists, having earned 3 separate place ribbons in the group’s exhibitions. The WPA has been an incredible organization, as I’ve met several artists
through the group who I paint alongside with during plein air competitions across the state. The most pivotal moment of my pastel endeavors was the time during my Junior and Senior year at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. As I was finishing my undergraduate degree during the height of the pandemic, I was completing the program remotely from Wisconsin. In a sense, I learned pastel from a lack of in-person resources, as it was a way for me to learn through creating and experimenting on my own in the studio. I opted to create small pastel portraits for my culminating thesis, allowing me to efficiently ship work out of the state – without waiting for paint to dry.
What challenges does your medium or process present and how do you adjust for or react to those challenges as they arise?
Pastel itself is an ambiguous material with how people both discuss and understand it. While inherently a “drawing” material, I use brushes when I work with pastel and even apply it in wet forms when layering. However, the modern pastel community identifies this practice as painting, rather than drawing. Since my undergraduate degree is in painting, I find this to be a bit of a relief that it works out that way! Nevertheless, these distinctions of drawing versus painting fascinated me, so I used these questions as research topics during my graduate studies at UWM in the Art History Department. I even wrote my master’s thesis on pastel: “The Re-Emergence of American Pastels.” I often try and explain material differences to diverse audiences when they come across my set-up during plein air events. To younger kids, I’ll talk about how pastel is kind of like sidewalk chalk. Several people often ask about oil pastels, but I’ll note that I work with “chalk” or “soft” pastels. I’ll then compare oil pastels to crayons, as they are a bit waxier. This can sometimes be confusing as pastels can be considered “crayons” in their historic forms based on their shape. Overall, these material specifications about what pastel is and how you can use it are what draw me to the medium in the first place. I appreciate things that can’t be easily defined, as they spark conversation.
What result can a finished piece or your process yield that makes you feel rewarded or proud?
I always tell my students that you can always find at least one positive thing about a picture. I take on this same approach to finding success in my own work. Even if a piece isn’t finished, if I learned something (sometimes that could very well be what not to do), I make a note and can then be satisfied with what I’ve accomplished. There are many times that I don’t have a “finished” or “resolved” physical product, but I do have a fulfilling experience.
How do community art spaces like Art Hub enhance your ability to make, distribute, and
celebrate art?
As an educator, community spaces are integral to my own artistic philosophy. Through teaching art classes, I’ve found further motivation to pursue my own work. In addition, my practice as a plein air painter is incredibly dependent on this idea of connecting with both spaces and people. I’m thankful to have become involved with Art Hub through the recommendation of fellow artists. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to judge Art Hub’s first ever plein air event this year, which certainly celebrated Cambridge.
You can view several of Mary Beth's works at Art Hub.
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