Here is the latest news from Mary Lou Dauray's Art Studio! 

Icebergs, Watercolor, 10"w x 14 1/2"h

It has been a fruitful and rewarding painting year for me.  Eight watercolors in my “Iceland” series were juried into a show at the University of California, San Francisco, Women’s Reproductive Health Center.  "Icebergs" (above) was one of the artworks selected for this show entitled "Serenity". 

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During the period of the Iraq war,  I painted a series of war-related paintings and one of the pictures, “War Equals Anonymity”, was juried into a show entitled Consequences,  held during May at the Arc Gallery in San Francisco. 

War Equals Anonymity, Watercolor, 12"w x 15"h

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I was fortunate to spend a painting week in mid-May at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico....Georgia O’Keeffe’s favorite place on earth! Here is one of many pictures I have painted while at Ghost Ranch:

Kitchen Mesa, Watercolor, 13"w x 20"h

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In June I travelled to Jordan—and, yes, hiked in 110 degree heat up, and then down 800 rocky steps to the Monastery at the awesome archaeological site of Petra. I also witnessed the beauty of Petra at night while hundreds of candles flickered and illuminated the carved red sandstone! Later, while in Amman, Jordan, I photographed some ancestor statues at the Archaeological Museum which were created around 6500 BC. These pieces intrigued me, and after returning home, I painted two of these enigmatic statues.

Ancient Ancestor,  Mixed Media, 15"w x 22"h

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Almost Before Time Began,  Mixed Media, 15"w x 22"h

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"Speak Up", one of the paintings in my Faces series that I have been working on all year, was juried into the Contemporary Women Artists XVI International Biennial Exhibit in August. The St. Louis Chapter of Women’s Caucus for Art sponsored the show. This artwork represented an older, wise woman encouraging others to Speak Up for justice. 

Speak Up,  Watercolor, 15"w x 22"h

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During the summer Olympics, through the support of Art of the Olympians, I had two pieces  from my Icelandic series on exhibit at the College of London. One of the reasons for showing these artworks at that time was to help bring, through the arts and to a wide audience an increased consciousness about our environmental problems.  I also participated in a panel discussion on the environment—and hopefully the result of those discussions will be the incorporation of environmental awareness in future Olympics.

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Here I am on November 6, 2012, standing in front of my watercolor “Mt. Tamalpais During a Spring Storm and White Wisteria".  This painting was one of two watercolors that were juried into a show entitled "Marin" held at the O'Hanlon Center in Mill Valley, California.

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With the current crisis of global warming and rising seas and climate disruption,  I know  that my “Iceland” series, which consists of about 40 pieces, relates to my  concern of the many significant and problematic climate changes on our planet.  I am concerned that our natural world is about to alter. The year 2012 is on track to become the hottest year in the US.  As a community we need to find our voice and work to relearn our innate balance in order protect our earth, our home.