Henri Matisse is attributed to have said “Creativity takes courage.” Along those same lines, the artistic path of Mary Carter has been an intrepid one. Using various media, Carter influences and infuses multiple styles by which she creates a personal expression.

From the demands of a position as regional sales director for Hilton International, she is now letting loose, painting outside the lines of reality with exuberance and enjoyment.

Carter transitioned seamlessly from the business world to the art world, all while married to an Adelphi University professor, raising two children, Krissy and Jeffrey, and caring for an aging parent. Never afraid to challenge herself, Carter forged ahead, discovering not only a different art form, but unveiling another facet of herself.

“While continuing to work in the corporate hotel industry and raising a family, I enrolled in painting and art classes, then studied at a local community college so I could learn the basics. I took classes in drawing, life drawing and art history,” she says.

“I loved impressionistic painters and had an assignment to paint in the style of this period. I chose Monet!”

Carter says it was her husband who encouraged her to leave the corporate world to pursue art full time. He had read an article about Leonard Pardon, whose expertise in faux marble and stone finishes was internationally renowned. Pardon was traveling to New York City to train a small group of students and Carter signed up.

She addressed her art exploration with the same tenacity she used in the business arena. Like the ascent of the proverbial corporate ladder, she climbed artistic scaffolding under Pardon’s tutelage. “One of my greatest accomplishments was studying with Leonard Pardon whose Pardon School of Specialist Decoration had locations in London, New York City and Miami Beach,” says Carter.

She adds that Pardon, whose work is in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Palace, 10 Downing Street, and the All Saints Chapel in Miami’s Trinity Cathedral, was a tough instructor who pressed his students for nothing less than excellence.

“For three months, five days a week, I learned and became proficient in faux marble, faux bois, gilding, glazed and textured surfaces, sky/cloud ceilings, trompe l’oeil, murals and stone finishes,” states Carter with pride.

Soon her faux and textured finishes graced New York City restaurants with murals to resemble Tuscan walls. She also designed a red marble patina in the dressing room of Diane Carroll’s NYC apartment and painted wooden fireplace mantels, transforming them to resemble marble.

“I created faux bois in rooms to repair and match the original wood grain in moldings, fireplaces and bannisters. Even had my own scaffolding equipment and a staff of art students to help me.”

In 2013, Carter moved to Pinehurst, N.C., to live near her aging father, and quickly joined weekly art classes and the Art League of the Sand Hills, taking workshops and launching into becoming a steady artist.

Her fearless approach to art continued by employing unexpected colors in her painting of animal and pet portraits, resulting in captivating works for the viewer.

“I sold many paintings in North Carolina and started my passion for painting portraits of pets. I had so many commissions, I was painting full time. In 2016, I moved to Florida with my new husband and a new world evolved in my painting adventure.”

Carter’s most recent artistic undertaking prompted her to learn all she could about abstract painting. She both participated in and hosted a workshop by abstract painter Monique Carr, who recently opened Monique Carr’s Art Studio and Gallery on 14th Avenue in Vero Beach.

“Because the Treasure Coast has numerous beaches, marinas and palms, plein air artists search for novel inspiration. For myself, I’ve developed an interest in abstract painting. It’s a creative expression that allows the artist to be free, to expand and explore. Abstract painting enables me to view the local scenes of Vero Beach differently. It stretches the imagination.”

Carter says the delight in “feeling” colors has revealed an untapped talent. She describes how exciting it is to recognize in nature the various hues within shadows and colors within colors, as well as the distinctive shapes and silhouettes that leaves cast upon a background when the sunlight sheens through them.

“To me, I can feel the life and energy of a plant. I love the graceful nature of the palm trees in the wind. I love learning new techniques, trying new products, exploring new ways of painting.

Monique Carr’s abstract techniques have influenced me,” Carter explains.

“Abstract art is gaining popularity, and I love the freedom of it. For me, it’s been a huge learning curve to go from the traditional painting techniques to being free and expressive in my art. It’s a challenge not to paint what I see with my eyes, but to paint what I feel within; an intuitive way to paint.”

A recent holiday display at the Bent Pine Country Club featured her eye-catching pet portraits, which incorporate her studies in conventional art, faux finish skills and colorful abstract painting. Each portrait expresses the happiness, joy and love which our beloved pets elicit.

Carter also exhibited large canvasses depicting a variety of works, including snowy white seagulls, a dramatic Vero Beach sunrise, abstract tropical fauna, and an abandoned red truck that captures the loneliness and isolation of an Edward Hopper painting.

Carter is an active member of the Vero Beach Art Club and has won several first-place prizes for her work.

Photos provided