Capturing the essence of a scene and recreating it with paint on canvas in a realistic yet painterly way, is Mary Holobaugh’s style. Whether painting a portrait, some long-eared owls she has stumbled upon while hiking, or out on site, painting in some rural location, she captures distance and dimension to bring a scene forward, so you feel like you are there. Mary can be found in her studio or much of the time out in the rural countryside, (her favorite) painting plein air.Mary also has been creating wax batiks since the early 80’s, starting from an experiment with a backdrop for a band. Batiking became a fun venue for color experimentation laying one dye over another, first placing hot wax as a resist, the end result often a surprise. The batik process is always a challenge, using new ideas and found metal objects as stampers to create a colorful story with a touch of whimsy. Mary has won many top awards with her colorful batiks. Mary is a charter member of Ohio Plein Air Society, her plein air work can be viewed at www.ohiopleinairsociety.com on the Gallery page. And, a plein group of painters called The Escape Artists, and she also sings in a band with her husband Clyde who is a musician.

Painting from life is a spontaneous avenue to follow. Out in the elements, capturing fleeting moments Mother Nature has granted us, documenting on canvas with colors and shadows, the day proceeds. Catching that scene, that light, that color that attracted you in the beginning, you hold steadfast until the end, your interpretation of the moment.

Mary was first introduced to plein air painting at age 10 by her great aunt while visiting her 1000 acre farm in Iowa. Her aunt took Mary out to one of the many farm ponds, after sketching a blackbird and cattails, she assisted her with painting the scene on canvas. This followed by years of correspondence by mail, with lots of encouragement to paint, paint, paint. Years of painting did continue, although not plein air. With a residency at The Artist Colony in Vermont, artists were encouraged to paint plein air.

The door was open again, Mary stepped right through, paints in hand.