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 First to admit to living in an ideal environment for painting, Mary Ann is not only driven by the landscape of Northumberland, but surrounds herself with a menagerie of unwitting models for her work. It is the moment, which counts - the dark cloud over the sunlit fields; a look of aggression; the burst of speed. An artist who has always understood the importance of a lightening brush, and immersed herself in the physical act of applying only the paint required to express that moment.
As a self-taught artist, the only rules Mary Ann sets herself, apart from integrity of the line and absolute freedom, concern quality of materials. Only the best, 100% acid free paper, and the most lightfast pigments are used in paintings which may also have paint thrown at them, as well as water sprayed from the garden hosepipe.
'Almost a year since I moved into my new studio, and the excitement has not diminished at all.Entering the clean, bright space each morning, surrounded by the hills, trees, birds and animals which are so much part of my life, is a joy..
 All the new features, especially the sink and shower so close at hand, have allowed me the freedom to indulge in more techniques involving water flow and pigment spread, along with the amount of drying and painting space, and washable floor. Much of the work I have been doing recently is to do with the new views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, in particular the swaledale sheep in the field behind the house. They graze right up to the very boundary of the field, and were it not for the glass, I could reach out and touch them. I persuaded the farmer to feed them in front of the window this spring, using a ‘snacker’, which pretty much does what it says, and distributes evenly measured little heaps of feed on the ground from a hopper trailed behind a quad bike. Using a snacker allows the imaginative shepherd to ‘draw’ pictures of strings of sheep feeding in their fields!
This scene inspired the cover of the catalogue. An invitation last summer to Knowsley Safari Park, Liverpool, allowed me to spend a few days driving around the enclosures with my materials spread out across the vehicle, drawing, painting and photographing almost entirely at liberty. The astonishing shape, grace and patterns of the giraffes were one of the many aspects of the trip which sparked a series of paintings. More recently, I tracked down a collection of stunning mature macaws to Middlesbrough, where I spent some time painting them in North East Exotic Pets, amongst the tropical fish and snakes. The scarlet macaw contains virtually all the colours of the rainbow in its plumage, so rare in nature. Each spring as the daffodils come up, I reach once again for the yellow paint, as you will see! I hope you enjoy this taste of my past year.’
Some selected exhibitions :
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Ingleby Gallery
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Derbyshire
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2006
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Whitehouse Gallery
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Kirkcudbright, Scotland
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2005-2007
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Lawson Gallery
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Cambridge
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2005-2007
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Blagdon Gallery
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Northumberland
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2005-2007
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Bianco Nero Gallery
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Yorkshire
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2005,2006
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The Line
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Linlithgow, Scotland
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2005
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Tolquhon Gallery
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Aberdeenshire, Scotland
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2005
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House of Bruar Gallery
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Perthshire, Scotland
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2004-2007
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Upfront Gallery
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Cumbria
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2004-2006
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Green Gallery
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Aberfoyle, Scotland
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2004,2006
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Lillie Art Gallery
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Milngavie, Scotland
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2004
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Pinfold Gallery
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Cumbria
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2003-2007
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Meigle Gallery
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Perthshire, Scotland
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2003-2005
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Affordable Art Fair
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New York
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2003
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Wyken Vineyard Gallery
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Suffolk
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2003
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Biscuit Factory
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Newcastle upon Tyne
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2002-2007
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Broughton Gallery
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Peebles, Scotland
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2002
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Lennox Gallery
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London
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2002
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Old Chapel Gallery
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Herefordshire
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2001-2007
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Anthony Woodd Gallery
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Edinburgh
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2001-2007
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Affordable Art Fair
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London
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2001,2002
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Chelsea Art Fair
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London
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2001,2002
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Tallentyres Gallery
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Northumberland
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2000,2003
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Quantum Contemporary
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London
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1999-2002
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Cotswold Wildlife gallery
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Gloucestershire
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1999-2001
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Young Masters
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London
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1999,2001
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Braemar Gallery
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Aberdeenshire, Scotland
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1998-2007
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Samling Arts Foundation
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Cumbria
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1997
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Television :
Channel 4, ‘The Hanging Jury’ with Wayne Hemingway & Andy Balman |
| Discovery Channel, ‘Designer Homes’ featuring the build of Mary Ann Rogers new studio. |
Tyne Tees TV, ‘Dale’s Diary’ featuring, Mary Ann Rogers, the artist. |
Radio :
BBC Radio Newcastle ‘The Julia Hankin Show’
Commissions Include :
Thomson House Publishing PLC
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Portmeirion Potteries Ltd
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South Tyneside Health Trust
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The Encyclopaedia of Watercolour Techniques
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North Light publications: 'Draw and Sketch Animals' + 'Painting Light and Shade'
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radio 4 woman's hour programme
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