Artist Biography

Live Oak near St. Michael's Church

Charleston, SC

Mary Anne Wehrend is recognized as a “plein air” artist. Her watercolors normally begin on the site of the subject allowing her to absorb the atmosphere of the scene and retain consistency of light. Her favorite subjects include the rugged landscapes and adobe structures of the Southwest plus lighthouses and seascapes of the East and West coasts.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, her family later moved to Youngstown, New York. Her home was on a bluff overlooking the Niagara River as it opened into Lake Ontario. Her father began taking her along on his weekend painting jaunts beginning when she was 7 years old. Later she was tutored by her uncle, the revered Canadian painter Frank S. Panabaker. R.C.A. They painted the rural landscape near his home in Ancaster, Ontario and the Canadian Sand Bay Islands.

Living in Cincinnati for many years, my first subjects were local scenes of Cincinnati, rural Kentucky and Indiana. Several trips to the Isle of Palms and Shem Creek near Charleston, South Carolina followed. For the past fifteen years I have taken three painting trips annually focusing on the Southwest, coastal regions of the south and east plus the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Upon arriving in the area where I will be painting I spend the first day finding interesting subjects. If the light and atmospheric conditions are right I begin drawing in the subjects. I developed a process of enlarging and reducing my subject matter to fit any size watercolor paper, without a grid. This allows me to work quickly and draw the subject accurately. Boats move plus light and weather conditions change dramatically so numerous photos are taken for later reference.

EDUCATION

University of of Cincinnati, College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning
Master of Arts in Art Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors
Bachelor of Science in Art Education with Honors
Centre College of Kentucky

REGIONAL EXHIBITIONS

Springfield Art Museum - Springfield, Ohio
Ludeke Gallery - Cincinnati, Ohio
Studio San Gusieppe - College of Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Cincinnati Club - Cincinnati, Ohio
Hillforest Mansion Collection - Aurora, Indiana
Centre College - Danville, Kentucky - Kentucky Alumni Invitational.

INTERNATIONAL AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITS

Canada - The North Shoreline Art Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
National Invitational “Women Who Paint the West” at the Abiquiui Inn Gallery, New Mexico
International Invitational from Cetys Universidad for an exhibit of her works that toured Mexicali, Ensenada and Tijuana, Baja, California, Mexico
She is currently represented by the Sunflower Art Center, Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.

Ellen Brown, former critic for the Cincinnati Post wrote, “Two of the best watercolors in the show (Celebration of Cincinnati) are by Mary Anne Wehrend - a view of the Taft Museum. She is one of the few watercolor artists in the show who allows the pigment to flow softly and does not control it too tightly.”

Chatham Light Keepers House, MA