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Mary Lou O'Brien
Mary Lou O'Brien grew up in Michigan, attended Oakland University in Rochester, where she pursued her interest in art, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History. Years later she went back to school, this time to the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point where she became certified to teach Art and Spanish. Mary Lou spent her entire teaching career teaching Spanish. During that time she added to her education, getting her Masters + 30. Mary Lou retired in 2001 after teaching in Illinois for 22 years. She is now translating for a company in Arlington Heights, IL. Because the job is seasonal, Mary Lou has time to pursue what she loves to do most - paint and draw.
The majority of Mary Lou's work is Non-Representational. It is a celebration of color, shape, line and texture. At times she introduces other media into her watercolor paintings, such as pencil, ink, papers, etc. She has often been asked where her ideas come from since these paintings are not based on reality. Mary Lou says, "The answer is that when I begin, my creative mind is as blank as the paper. Shapes and colors appear and evolve as I am working. The most difficult part is knowing when to stop."
Some of Mary Lou's paintings could be called Abstract, in that they are based on reality; recognizable as the objects they represent, but they are an abstraction. Many are influenced by Impressionism, softer representations of life.
Mary Lou's artwork communicates a love of color, a fascination with lines and shapes and a passion for texture.
1% of the profits from my work goes to support International League of Conservation Photographers.