Mary James Ketch
Artist Statement
I paint as a way to connect myself to awe and wonder. I am heavily influenced by evolutionary psychology, and while my artwork is about particular things that have happened to me, I am also looking for images that have a universal appeal. The characters in the paintings are rarely portraiture—rather, it’s about an experience of being human. I want the viewer to be able to enter into the painting fully, and have it call upon their vast wellspring of memories and emotions, which is why the images are often ambiguous and the figures missing faces.
Mary is part of FRINGE Women Artists of Oklahoma and was in our exhibition, Fringe at The Art Hall, January-April, 2018.