By Shelbi LeMeilleur
Local artist Mary Skow uses art to connect with people of all ages. She teaches art classes to young children at St. Thomas Early Learning Center in College Station and to senior citizens at Arbor Oaks Independent Living Center, which is part of Crestview Nursing Home. Skow’s passion for art and connecting with others is evident in her paintings, however, she didn’t start painting until later in life.
“I was about 45 when I started painting,” Skow says. “I took a little class and decided I would like to keep going. So, the class ended, but I read books and watched videos and practiced on my own.”
Skow says she prefers watercolor paintings, and her style has loosened up over the years. “I think watercolor allows you to create this atmosphere or this mood in a way that’s different [from] an oil painting that’s heavier,” she says.
Unlike many artists, Skow doesn’t have one central theme across her portfolio; she just paints what she likes. She has painted homes, trees, sunlight, vegetables, buildings in Downtown Bryan, portraits, and more. According to Skow, she will often use a picture as a guide, but will also paint free from memory. The main consistency in her art is keeping things loose.
“I try to draw as little as possible because drawing keeps it confined and more tight and I like it to be loose and open to more interpretation,” Skow explains. “Some paintings are fast because I want them to be more transparent and loose.” However, she also does commission projects, like houses, and those require a bit more detail, she adds. “When you do a commission it takes longer; I draw more exact.”
Part of Skow’s inspiration comes from the Impressionists. “They’re not all water color, in fact, many of them are not. They sort of loosen things up a bit, and it opens yourself up to interpretation,” she explains. “Impressionism creates an atmosphere or a mood when you look at it that I like.”
Her passion for the Impressionists and other artists also factors into classes she teaches at the unique Art Cottage at St. Thomas. Not only does she teach pre-K and kindergarten students how to paint, but each lesson focuses on a famous artist.
“When they come here, they just come with such anticipation and they want to learn about a real person,” says Skow. “We use a lot of watercolor, but we also use acrylics and other kinds of mediums too. I’m always teaching them about famous artists. We [study] Georgia O’Keefe in the spring. We do large big flowers like she did. We also [study] people that are unusual, like Andy Warhol. Some kind of fun different artists, not just impressionists. We [learn about] contemporary artists as well.”
Skow also offers a program called Encore, which allows graduates of St. Thomas to come back a couple times a month for an enrichment lesson. This allows children through the fourth grade to continue their art education.
On the other end of the spectrum is the class for senior citizens at Arbor Oaks.
“They come once a month to the activity room where I do a painting lesson,” Skow says. “I bring all the supplies and they come just like the kindergarteners. They are just the same. They are very expectant and walk in with anticipation of what are we going to learn.”
For both groups of her students, sometimes the art lessons translate to life lessons as well.
“I’m not always happy with everything that I paint, and that’s okay!” says Skow. “You can let your mistakes become part of the finished product, and in water color, you can’t cover up. With acrylics or oils, you can just paint over it, but with watercolors, it’s transparent and there’s this movement and fluid feeling when you put the watercolor in. … The drips became part of the finished piece. I try to share that with children, and the older people, too — anybody — that it’s okay to make mistakes and just let it become part of the finished product or part of your story.”
More than anything, Skow says she believes art is a great way to connect with people. She has also found art to be healing for many, including herself.
“I have found that many times with other people, sometimes words are harder, but you know, painting is easier than saying anything,” Skow says. This has been true of her experiences painting with cancer support groups (Skow is also a cancer survivor), sick children, and even a little boy grieving the loss of his family dog.
“I think the biggest thing for me at this point in my life, I just feel very blessed and I’m happy to be well and I think after you go through something, it just makes you grateful, and I want to share that,” Skow explains. “I want to share God’s grace with others. The way I’m able to do that is really through art. ... This is a tangible way that I’m able to connect to people, and it’s fun.”
