“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.”
Francis Bacon
Although In her earlier role as a teacher, where everything had been more or less structured, Maureen's creative pursuits and passions were always on display. Music and art were a prominent feature within her portfolio as an educationalist. Her classrooms for young children were a continuous feast of colour and vibrancy.
Following a career in education, Maureen began painting replicas of works by artists such as Ernst Kirchner, Gauguin, Dufy and Pablo Picasso among others. Although she found this practice immensely satisfying, she always had a compelling desire to create her own original works. Maureen had delayed this consideration, as it seemed so daunting to have to rely almost entirely on her own imagination. Eventually, however, she managed to go ‘solo’ and from her earlier artistic practice, find her own creative style. Picasso claimed, 'Good artists borrow and great artists steal.'' And so, while all artists are influenced by others, the most impactful artists transform borrowed ideas into something uniquely their own. '
While Maureen's paintings display a diversity of genres, they all highlight her dominant color palette and style. Intense layering of paint within each artwork brings her closer to the depth of color she desires.
Maureen has never been drawn to paint exclusively on one subject or theme. Painting for her is like reading.. A documentary, a day at the races, a thriller or a love story . Each artwork exudes its own unique appeal
Her paintings cross over multiple genres, which focus on everyday life experiences and memories which often include horses, flowers, seascapes, portraits and dancers. She loves to paint characters in a simplistic, yet sophisticated way giving each one a lifelike attraction.
Maureen began painting her original artworks using carefully defined brush strokes with an emphasis on detail. Every daub of paint was scrutinized and earned its own rightful place within the painting.
Recently, though, her paintings have evolved significantly and taken on a more relaxed and confident artistic freedom.
She chooses rich and contrasting hues for her works, often painting multiple layers with texture and using loose and expressive brush strokes, especially when painting large expanses like the sea and the sky.
Sometimes, she pursues more abstract, or poetically inclined subjects, which often resemble the simplicity of a child's drawing, but with a more sophisticated, emotional and poetic maturity.
It is still important for her to learn from, and refer to, many of the works of other artists and in her own way, recreate an image and an atmosphere that is intrinsic to her painting and its authenticity.
Maureen's artworks instinctively exhibit energy and movement and at other times reflect intense, deep emotion and soulfulness.
There is usually a hidden narrative to be found within each painting, albeit with a touch of mischief.
Although not attending any formal art school, Maureen believes that artistic flair exists with or without that specific experience. it is a comforting fact, that many artists in past decades were almost solely self-taught, including the famous Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, whose art education was also largely self-taught and informal, shaped significantly by his associations with other artists rather than academic training.
At the completion of each painting, Maureen is reminded of the words of Edgar Degas,
“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people.'
Maureen has sold artworks in Australia and the USA
.
All her paintings are a limited edition of one. They are multi-layered and textural. and have been sealed with varnish for enhancement and protection. Her signature which may be seen as Maureen or the letter, 'M,' is discreetly visible on the front of each artwork. All four sides of each canvas is a carefully matched continuation of the main painting.
There are no prints of any of her artworks.