We’re looking forward to introducing you to Mary Kamerer. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Mary, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Teaching! Over the last several years, I had been offered opportunities to teach oil painting, but never felt comfortable doing it. I never felt that I had enough experience or education under my belt to make it worth someone actually paying me. Last year, I moved into a larger studio and actually had room to accommodate two or three beginner students, I’m finding that I do actually have a lot of of tips and tricks, techniques and advice that I can share. The best part is seeing my beginner students have such great success!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
For the most part, I’m an impressionist oil painter. You could say that my work leans toward realism, but I occasionally will push a piece more toward abstraction. Overall, I like adding my touches of strong light and shadows which harken back to my creative beginnings when I dabbled in black and white photography.
I guess what might be unique about me is that I’m actually an English major, but have made myself a “portfolio” art degree of sorts over the last 35 years through apprenticeships and classes using all sorts of mediums.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
As a young woman, I had a long-term relationship with a photographer. As his assistant, I would often help with lighting or accompany him to photo shoots. If he allowed me to use the camera, sometimes the client liked my work, too. That was definitely a confidence boost that made me feel as if I had a sense of composition and creativity. But just being immersed in the creative community excited me and led to me taking photography and design elective classes in college.
Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
I lost my dad when I was 21 to kidney disease. He had grown up during the Depression and often told stories of hardships and what he did to scrape up a few cents here and there. His resourcefulness stayed with him all his life, and I watched him (and my mother) as DIY-ers cook, sew, make things out of wood, paint, and do little repairs. I’m approaching his age when he died, and it has made me miss him even more. He had an early influence on my perception of what it meant to make things from scratch and the value of hand-crafted products.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
Artistically speaking, I tend to look at traditional methods that have withstood the test of time. When it comes to painting, there have been fads that I have seen become very popular like paintings on velvet, spin, art and variations on poured art.While they are fun and can certainly generate sales, I would not consider those foundational shifts like cubism or impressionism, which were bigger movements tied to cultural shifts. Perhaps it takes looking back at art forms and their zeitgeist to determine whether they were part of an actual foundational shift or just passing fads.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
If you asked me that 35 years ago, my answer would have been “no”. I was a young, newly-married woman. My parents were not supportive of women going to college but did have a very strong work ethic. Art school would’ve been completely out of the question, but I did start college and worked simultaneously. I was eventually able to get my degree and then raised two children, immersing myself in parenting and homemaking. My urge to create was incorporated into kids’ school projects and nonprofit volunteer work for many years.
Once my children entered college, my time was fully mine again. Contemplating how to spend my time, having fulfilled my obligations to parents, husband and children for many years felt daunting. I did ask myself: “What is my purpose? What talents have I been given that I can share? What do I want to leave behind?” Taking a hard look at my own desires and skills gave me clarity that yes, creating art is what I feel I was born to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.marykamerer.com
- Instagram: @maryckamererart
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/mary-kamerer-a7227012
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H21WQpvij/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marykamererart?_r=1&_t=ZT-910pO3CsrbK
