Tag: Mary Weatherford

Mary Weatherford creates large paintings by applying spontaneously sponged paint onto heavy linen canvases, often complemented by precisely placed colored neon tubes. Her canvases are prepared with a mixture of white gesso and marble dust, then worked on with Flashe paint, resulting in a wide range of colors and textures from matte to transparent. The paintings can vary from densely filled, continuous surfaces to shifting colors from edge to edge, sometimes incorporating clusters of marks in more open spaces.

Weatherford holds a BA from Princeton University (1984) and an MFA from Bard College (2006). Her early works included assemblage elements like seashells within washes of Flashe color. Later, she transitioned to series like the Vines paintings (2007–08) and the Cave paintings (2010), influenced by natural observations. The Bakersfield Project (2012) marked a shift with neon rods incorporated into paintings, casting industrial light and creating three-dimensional effects.

Her color and light choices stem from personal experiences and memories of specific places. Major series like Manhattan (2013) and Los Angeles (2014) reference architectural details, with works like Brooklyn Bridge (2013) using neon rods reminiscent of suspension cables. Weatherford’s recent works (2017–18) link current events to historical narrative painting, aiming to invoke significant concerns.

Weatherford’s art redefines neon’s potential, turning an industrial material into abstract, pictorial drawings. Exhibitions such as “Neon Paintings” at Aspen Art Museum (2020) and the survey “Canyon—Daisy—Eden” at Tang Teaching Museum and SITE Santa Fe (2020-2021) showcase her pivotal pieces. She received the 2021 Aspen Award for Art.