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Door Closes, Another Opens | Our Cover Artist Mary Lou Carpenter
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2020/11 - November
For Mary Lou Carpenter, life in the mountains is a daily-delivered invitation to create.
It’s one thing to have command of color and canvas.
It’s quite another to build a studio/gallery around that ability, while mentoring upcoming artists, and strengthening the Plateau’s art community. Highlands has a woman who can do all that and more – Mary Lou Carpenter.
Mary Lou, professional multi-media artist, moved from her fast-paced studio in downtown Atlanta to become a full-time Highlands resident in 2009. In love with Mother Nature and the magnificent mountains, she had long-planned her relocation. She was drawn to our area not only for its beauty and tranquility, but for its active support of the Arts.
Her award-winning creations are the product of extensive studies at the universities of Kentucky and Georgia. In the late 80s she traveled to Italy to master the classical lost wax method of sculpture.
Mary Lou’s painting and sculpture are collected and exhibited throughout the United States. Venues include the University of Kentucky, University of Alabama, Emory University, JFK Plaza in New York, the IBM lobby in Charlotte, and many more.
You may remember Mary Lou from her partnership in the Carolina Gallery, which closed in 2019.
One door closed. Another opened.
She quickly rallied, regained her artistic footing, interacted with fellow artists and patrons (to the degree Covid allowed), and produced lovely, energetic works for galleries and private business/home commissions.
Mary Lou says, “I’m known mainly for my contemporary work. I love to experiment with new materials and ideas that lean toward an organic feel. I let the materials and their reaction to movement lead me to an ultimate outcome: occasional figures, organic shapes and my favorite, ethereal skyscapes.”
This year she has experimented with oil in a cold wax medium.
“It keeps me loose,” she says. “The best part is the surprises this
process generates.”
What’s Mary Lou’s next adventure?
She recently acquired a large amount of copper pieces.
She grins a wily grin, “The possibilities are endless.”
An accomplished teacher, she is available for workshops, private lessons, mentoring and ongoing classes. For more information, or a private studio visit you can call (404) 351-6511 or e-mail [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
