Artist’s Statement: “Pastel can be a line, contributing calligraphic and gestural quality to form, or it can be a tonal passage of color. Too often artists over-render it, making subservient to form. My intent is to use this language of line and color in the tradition of James McNeill Whistler and Cy Twombly to communicate a deeper perception of my subject and the power of the “mark” without sacrificing the integrity of the pastel medium.  I continue in the century-old tradition of artists working directly from a subject and have broadened my goals in my recent work to refine both my investigation and interpretation of the subject. My role as observer is to shape a content, distill it and then convey that significance to the viewer in a language of color, value, line and shape. As with the pastel stroke, I use these formal elements as components of the composition but aim to retain their abstract identity and qualities. I am continually striving for more control with this language, particularly with compositional design and the subtleties of color interaction."

Artist Biography:  Mary Padgett is an adjunct instructor at Syracuse University and Cazenovia College. She earned a BFA degree from Boston University and an MFA from Syracuse University. Mary is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and recently received their Art du Pastel Award. She has participated in a wide variety of solo and group exhibitions including the Smithy Pioneer Gallery in Cooperstown and the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse. Her paintings are in numerous private and corporate collections including Takasago International and Towers Perrin Corp. In an American Artist article  about her work (The True Color of Contrast, February 2000) Kathleen Baxter wrote: "... Padgett's ability to manipulate color perception and translate color relationships into her work imparts a rich vivacity to her paintings and allows her to maintain a fresh spontaneous approach."  Mary Padgett maintains a studio in New Woodstock, New York.