Reflections, 11 x 14 inches, acrylic on canvas.
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planned to be an artist. Maret was
working as a reporter for Bloomberg
in Atlanta and was several months
pregnant with her son when she and
her husband moved to the Triangle
area.
“I had to quit my job, but I never
really planned to,” she says.
The ultimate push to revisit her
passion for visual art came from a
friend who was visiting the family’s
new home. Maret had painted a few
things for her kids’ rooms and for
herself, but didn’t consider it to be
anything more than a hobby. The
friend asked if she’d painted a piece
that was hanging in the living room.
She hadn’t, but Maret said the question
made her ask herself, “Why am I
not painting?”
While painting ultimately won out
over writing, Maret maintains that
her writing days positively influenced
her art career.
“Art really gave birth to writing,
especially if we think back to examples
like the Lascaux cave drawings,”
she says. “And there are so many
writers who are also painters, now
and in history. But even at a basic
level, a writing background is a solid
foundation because it definitely prepares
you to meet a deadline.”
Maret’s early propensity for bright
shades continues in pieces like “Rainy
Day.” This 20” x 16” composition
depicts a group of figures sheltering
under umbrellas as they walk
through a summer downpour. The
group moves along a path flanked
by tall, dark trees. Their umbrellas are
rendered in shades of pink and blue,
which are mirrored in their clothing.
Though Maret does not show the
rain itself, the scene has the appearance of light reflecting on a wet surface. The solid path and the tops of the umbrellas are highlighted with big
swaths of yellow and other pastel shades. The long, geometric brushstrokes and elongated paint sections making up the background recall water
running down a wall or window. The effect is similar to looking through a camera lens when it’s raining; the entire scene has a glow and a hazy
thickness to it.
Her signature style evolved immediately and organically after she returned to painting and includes loose brushstrokes, textural application of
acrylic paint, plein air painting, and varying canvas sizes. She often works in series, or phases, that follow a theme, canvas size, or color scheme.
Friends, 8 x 10 inches, acrylic on canvas.