Mary Welch Austin

Carolina's Premier Land and Waterscape Artist

The acrylic and oil paintings of Mary Welch Austin are the product of much exposure to the fine arts and a great deal of 'moving about' in a busy and certainly happy life.  Her works express the artist's sense of harmony and balance.   Austin welcomes viewers to observe her keen appreciation for the magic of light and texture and the compositional dance of positive and negative spaces in nature.   Similar to a theme and variation: the subject matter is clear with her variations being her exploration of light and harmony, a sort of 'impressionistic realism.'

"I have always been happy with a brush in my hand, whether it is for oil painting or wall painting.  After many years of both brushes being a large part of my life, I still love the creativity and focus of the painting experience.  I feel blessed to have had a design career and now a fine arts career as they compliment each other so well.  My art is part intention and part surprise!  I start with a vision and paint quickly, unencumbered by lots of 'how to' rules, giving my work vitality and purpose."

Mary is originally from High Point, NC and attended Salem College, the University of Georgia and earned a BFA degree in Art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After a career as a fabric designer developing significant skills in color, composition and perspective, she now enjoys focusing exclusively on oil and acrylic fine art.