Colored pencils. You probably haven’t used them since you were in elementary school, struggling to stay in between the lines on your coloring sheet. Mary Ellen Geissenhainer is a talented artist who works in the style of contemporary realism. Working exclusively in colored pencil, Mary Ellen recreates images and scenes from life in a beautifully realistic way. I don’t know about yours, but my coloring sheets certainly didn’t look like this!
I am lucky enough to call Mary Ellen my aunt. With that privilege, I have had the opportunity to watch her creative process in action. Mary Ellen has a unique creative process. She will start by taking a photo (something she is also very talented at). In this way, she is constantly collecting, taking images of life that she will later translate into art. She then takes that photo and blocks it out into sections, and then recreates those sections piece by piece using colored pencils in order to create an entire picture. Working methodically in this way, she is able to create an image that looks very similar to real life.
Mary Ellen’s creativity is shaped largely by her personality. She has a giving heart, she loves her family, and she enjoys the serenity of nature. You will see this informs the subject of her art, which has a focus on scenes from nature and life of the Chesapeake Bay, portraits of family members and friends, and nostalgic pieces that remind me of my grandparents house. She is also very intrinsically motivated. Mary Ellen loves art and enjoys sharing it with others. She worked for a long time as an art teacher for elementary and middle school children. Hanging out with Mary Ellen was always exciting as a kid because we could count on her to have a fun art project for us to work on!
“Last One Standing.” Maryland Blue Crabs are a staple
food for us Marylanders. When your aunts and uncles live on the bay, you catch
them yourself!
Mary Ellen’s works are adored within my family. They
hang in our houses, have served as Christmas cards, wedding invitations, you
name it. But she isn’t just loved by us, Mary Ellen is well recognized throughout
the US and internationally as well. She has won numerous awards, and her works
have been shown in exhibits throughout the US and abroad.
This world, and specifically this country, finds ways
to be quicker and more efficient every day. Cameras are now on our phones, and
we can share them globally in an instant. Mary Ellen, however, trusts in the slow
work of art to capture these memories in a way that is even more special.
As a kid I used to only color with colored pencils and draw all the time. I really appreciated this blog post, because I got to see how a real professional uses the medium to create things way cooler than I could have imagined. I like how Mary Ellen uses photos and draws by sections. I have never even thought of that and I think it could allow for you to add a lot more detail that way. I really liked this article and have a newfound perspective on the possibilities using colored pencils.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about Mary Ellen and the works she creates! I agree it is important to cherish the time and effort that goes into creating such a work of art and a memory instead of capturing the image with a camera. I am impressed by the variety she is able to create with colored pencils, especially the textures achieved in "Rising Up" and the realism of "Family Tree" and “Bob’s Provisions.” I love how she draws inspiration from what and who she loves in order to create something she loves to do.
ReplyDeleteI like to dabble with colored pencil art myself, and to see how she translates photograph to paper in this way is impressive and inspiring. Not only is collecting a numerous amount of subjects important, but also the content that you capture. She has a keen eye for precious moments to capture; each seems to be a unique representation of someone or something important to her. I especially love the piece Bob's Provisions because the detail in the art reflects her attention to detail in those that she cares about.
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible to see how Mary Ellen manages to create hyper-realistic art using a medium that most people would consider only suitable for young children. I also find it very sweet that she takes time to draw portraits of her family members and things people would associate with her home state of Maryland (such as blue crabs) using color themes that are reminiscent of the ones children first adopt when being introduced to drawing. The unique contrasts between the two styles she opts to use serve to make her art even more creative.
ReplyDeleteColored pencils are considered by most as suitable for children only but I love looking at Mary Ellen’s work and just how useful colored pencils are. Allowing for very vibrant colors, different textures and a realistic look when they are used. I really enjoy art with this medium. I especially like Mary Ellen’s art because it stems from a place of love which it makes the pieces even more special in my mind.
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