MARY ANN SEARS

MARY ANN SEARS

Mary Ann Sears was born in Casper, Wyoming on October 23, 1952, and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Majoring in painting and drawing with a minor in dance, she attended Arizona State University where her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree was conferred with distinction in 1975. Sears' extensive work in the field of interior design also brought her success in the areas of graphic design, the art of visual display, and design consultation.

Sears currently works in painting and monoprinting. The influence of dance movement is evident in her compositions, which consist of graceful, flowing contours, rich background hues, and staccato accents of neon and jewel tones. Whether the piece is figurative or abstract, it bears the distinctive elegance that is uniquely hers.

The monoprints are created by applying oil based lithographic inks to a clear sheet of plexi-glass using rollers and brayers. While the ink is still wet, she draws into it with a palette knife, pencil, or Q-tip to extract and thus create lines and shapes. She then runs the plate through an etching press onto 100% rag paper. Only one print can be pulled from the plate so it is unique. Once the ink is dry, she then details and enhances the print with colored pencils and metallic paints.

Artist's Statement

"Imagination is self-evident in my work. My desire is to extend a personal vision that creates emotionally provocative pieces. A fragmentary sense of composition and color is part of an effort to enhance the fantastical unconscious impulse that reveals my dream-like visual world: a world which floats in a sea of personally invented creatures, objects, nuances, marks and shapes."