Mary Ann Byrne-Walker

Cornerstone’s Artist of the Month for April 2017

Below is a recent Q&A with Mary Ann Byrne-Walker.

Tell us briefly about your background & how you got started in your medium.
I am an instructor at Penn State in a medical field. My art has always been for fun but I have done art commissions all my life.

How does your medium inform your viewpoint? Or what do you like most about your medium?
I have worked in all media. My most recent one in last 7 years is oils. We travel frequently and I will occasionally paint plein air. When I can’t paint plein aire then I am taking tons of reference photos. It was suggested that I try water soluble oils for one of those trips. I haven’t gone back to traditional oils because I love the ease of use and the lack of chemicals in clean up.

Who or what have been your artistic inspirations?
My artistic inspiration is the beauty in National Parks

What would be your advice to artists just starting out in your medium?
If someone wanted to try oils but wasn’t fond of the smells and slow drying time, I would suggest trying water soluble oils.

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