Rock the Casbah   16" X 29"

My paintings capture the wildness and sensuality of the natural world. I visualize nature as monoliths of color, emotion and energy. I explore the edges of abstraction and realism, pushing the boundaries of watercolor while conveying the joyfulness of painting. Using vibrant color as my language, pigment and water explode across paper to form imagery. Working wet onto wet requires that simultaneously I am in and out of control with the medium; this is an essential component of my work.

Sea

Paintings of seascapes and tidepools are my emotional response to the rugged coast of Northern California. Seemingly fragile tidepools thrive in this beautiful yet harshly violent environment. Appearing as brilliant underwater flower gardens, I am drawn to the contrasts of the brutal sea meeting the shore.

Land

I am inspired by the forests of the Wisconsin, red rock canyons and hoodoos of Utah, and the moonscapes of South Dakota's badlands. Nature's drama and mystery speak to me in vivid color.

In Bloom

Common garden plants have personality, particularly sunflowers and poppies. Flowers and foliage exhibit individual emotional traits more akin to people than to plants. The life forms of a garden are a reflection of the human experience.

About the Artist

Mary Kay Neumann's paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions in galleries throughout the United States, including the Rhonda Schaller Studio in New York City; the Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, California, the Arts Center on Main in Garden City, Kansas; and the Pyle Center of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.  In 2008, she exhibited at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, and had a solo exhibition in Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton's Office at the Wisconsin State Capital. In 2009 she had a solo exhibition at Hudson Hospital's Healing Arts Program, in collaboration with the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, Wisconsin.  Neumann's paintings are in private and corporate collections, including those of the Meriter Hospital and Petkovsek & Moran in Madison, Wisconsin and D&K Pattern in St. Charles, Michigan.  

Press:

Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton

Interview with Madison Magazine