Featured Artist Mary Luttrell

Artist Mary Luttrell presents a collection of paintings that expertly capture the action and personality of her subjects. See more from this talented artist by visiting her website.

 

 

I’m the daughter of well-known western artist, Oleg Stavrowsky. I’ve been painting since 2018, after working for many years as a graphic designer and illustrator.

 

 

My favorite subjects are the American West and animals of all kinds, which I adore. I especially love to explore the various relationships between animals and people.

 

 

I paint in acrylics on canvas and canvas board, and sometimes I use an acrylic pour to seal my work and give it a nice gloss. I like juxtaposing an abstracted background with a representational subject/foreground. That makes my pieces really pop.

 

 

I began to paint using a full color palette, but eventually settled on working only in warm black and warm white. Sometimes I’ll add a strong color for the under painting, etc.

 

 

I use this limited palette because I think it gives my work a mysterious, dramatic and striking immediacy. This palette also ensures that my pieces fit well in contemporary as well as traditional settings, and it helps my work stand out in shows and galleries.

 

 

My younger sister and I opened a small gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2023 (Luttrell Hurst Gallery). I think we complement each other well, as she paints in color and with a very different process. I love art of all kinds so much that I’m not sure I’d want to be on this planet without it.

 

 

To me, creativity and art are proof of our connection to the Divine, whether it’s painting, sculpting, singing, dancing, writing or acting.

 

 

When people tell me that my paintings move them, it makes all the hard work and sporadic rewards of the artist’s life worthwhile. I feel immensely privileged and grateful to be able to do what I do.