Pastels are direct and pure, created simply with pigment and a binder to make them useable. The hand is not held back away with a brush but approaches the canvas closely. 

When regional art lovers think of Mary Moores’ artworks found in galleries and exhibits, they’ll most likely have her pastel works in mind. But visit her social media accounts, and you’ll often see a sketchbook and drawings in her hands, sometimes with works not yet completed, giving the viewer insight into her art and approach. The sketches reflect where she is and where life has taken her and the Moores family, including a family member’s serious battle with Kostmann’s Syndrome and sepsis infections.

The family utilizes this experience as a tool to help educate others about these often severe and life-threatening conditions, and it impacted personal philosophies. Mary noted that these health obstacles didn’t put them “behind,” but rather added to what followed. As one example, she feels that her drawing skills improved as she sketched in the various medical facilities along the journey.

You’ll be able to find Mary’s pastel works at York’s (PA) Gallery at 227 throughout March, with an opening on Friday, March 3rd, from 5-9 PM.

In the interview with Moores below, you may find that “process” is essential in her appreciation of the creative process and, in using it, the ability to help process the world around her.

Andrew Smith: Will your exhibit have a title?

Mary Moores: “The title is “Chasing the Light” It stems from a painting by this name where I was driving home on 194 from Hanover. As I reached Hershey Heights, I could see a vast panorama of the sky over Hanover. Although I was in the sunshine, dark clouds and rain were pouring in the distance, with the bright sun peeking through in spots. As an artist, especially in plein air situations, I am tempted to literally chase the light as it falls on objects that I am painting. Something to avoid. It is always changing.”

AS: What mediums do you use regularly? (I see pottery in your past — I didn’t know that!) Do you consider yourself primarily a pastel artist, something else, or just an artist in general?

MM: “I am primarily a pastel artist. I choose this as a medium because of its immediacy and the ability to walk away from a piece when it is unfinished and return to it later. I graduated from West Virginia with a BFA in art focused on high-fire wheel-thrown pottery and a certification to teach. I am exploring watercolor, acrylic, and oil. The most recent is watercolor because it was easiest to bring on my Mexico trip.

AS: Did you key in on a particular medium early in your artist journey? Was there a moment or time when you realized you were or would be an artist?

MM: “No particular medium early. Drawing has always been my backbone. When we lived in the hospital in 2021 for almost ten months, my sketchbook was my sole expression to process our experiences. Drawing during it was my choice to focus on the small acts of courage that I witnessed and to not put art completely on the shelf. I had completely closed my pottery business and my art endeavors when my second child was born. Part of what was hard about 2021 was setting aside everything to focus on keeping Sophia alive. This meant being the invisible hands constantly on deck and the advocacy voice. It was also easy because, for me, as a parent, there was no other choice than to invest in her survival.”

AS: I see from a Facebook post that you studied in France and West Virginia University. Did those studies shift how you thought of your art?

MM: “Seeing major pieces of sculpture and art in Europe as opposed to in a book or on a computer screen had a major impact. There is a WOW factor to seeing art in person. Art seems incorporated into everyday situations in Europe because it is prevalent everywhere. I also traveled to Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Amsterdam, and Czechoslovakia.

“I was not exposed to pottery until university. I loved the magic of the kiln transformation and creating objects that functioned for food.”

AS: Have you found yourself shifting in approaches, techniques, or subjects in any way over the past few years?

MM: “I am always attracted to light and dark patterns as opposed to tonalism. I am improving my skills and my appreciation of plein air painting. I have learned to see color by challenging myself to plein air painting which used to intimidate me. It can still be daunting for me, except when I set my mind to pursue it in order to practice as opposed to needing the result to be a beautiful finished painting.”

AS: You talk about drawing and painting on your social media platforms. For someone reading this without pastel experience, where do you see pastels falling?

MM: “The tactile quality of getting messy when someone uses pastels can be off-putting. The disadvantage of pastels is that they require framing under glass, which, once framed, pastels have a greater archival quality than other media. They will not tarnish, fade, or yellow. Pastels are pure pigment contained in oil paints except without the addition of the binder, so they are like sticks of dynamite. This represents the reason why using pastels is called painting as opposed to drawing.”

AS: Any artists that you particularly enjoy or appreciate?

MM: “Tara Will and Trisha Adams.”

AS: From the point of view of a visitor to one of your solo exhibits, do you think they will come away with any similarities in your works or thoughts about your artist’s voice?

MM: “My style is impressionistic as opposed to realism. I am trying to capture the essence of a landscape, person, or animal. Many people are engaged by the quality of light in my paintings. I create out of an appreciation for the world around me. I hope to encourage others to do the same, to experience moments of awe and wonder.”

Visitors to Mary’s website and her numerous exhibitions in the region will have their own sense of wonder and awe when experiencing her pastel works. In addition, Moores accepts commissions, which are appreciated as cherished gifts.

Mary Moores Fine Art
marymooresfineart.com 
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“Chasing the Light”
March 2023
Opening: Friday, March 3rd, 2022, 5-9 PM

Gallery @ 227
Codorus & Company
227 W. Market Street
York, Pennsylvania
Regular Hours, M-F: 8 AM - 5 PM

All works copyright Mary Moores and/or Andrew T. Smith