Expressing her love of the natural world, whether through photography, drawing, or painting, has been a life long passion for Mary Anne Dente. She is awed by the rhythm and vibrancy of nature: swirling clouds, dancing trees and light that plays on the water in a kaleidoscope of colour.  Nature is never static, but constantly changing and awing us with its splendour.  The Spirit of the land is alive.

Since her goal is to capture the vibrancy of nature and the atmosphere of place, Mary Anne uses a variety of media to get the effect she is after. Although her painting journey began as a watercolorist, Mary Anne is presently enjoying the texture and variety that acrylic and collage have to offer. Using acrylics, she works intuitively, building her paintings in stages, adding to and taking away from the image as it develops on the canvas. Collage may be used at times to enhance the composition, and add interest, complexity, and texture. This year’s collection includes works done with watercolour on Yupo as she continues to experiment with ways to depict the characteristics of light upon the water.

Inspiration is gleaned from places visited, and people met, both at home and abroad. Sketches and photographs are always a starting point for what hopefully becomes Mary Anne’s expression of a place or subject that touches you, the viewer.

Come by and see this year’s work at Arts on the Credit 2014 at the Waterside Inn in Port Credit. In the meantime, you may visit Mary Anne’s website to learn more about her work www.maryannedente.com