Gallery at Somes Sound | Mary Jo Carew

Gallery at Somes Sound | Mary Jo Carew


From Carew’s early days as an art student she was inspired by the French Impressionists. In 2008 this inspiration extended to the Plein Air painters of California, from the turn of the century to the present. Experiencing nature’s wonders first-hand, and then translating those experiences onto canvas with oil paint continues to inspire her. The changing light, color, and rhythms of the environment never cease to stir her imagination. Lately, Carew has also enjoyed painting landscapes in her studio, using her plein air sketches and photos as inspiration.

Whether plein air or in the studio, Carew employs several stages in producing a finished painting.  Carew paints in the large shapes of shadow and light and continues to refine the shapes, bringing in more and more detail, until the painting feels like it is complete.

When Carew moved to New York City in 2011, she continued to paint the landscape, but also returned to her love of painting the figure.  She finds herself admiring the works of John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, and Celia Beaux.  Thus, at this stage of her career Carew considers herself equally a painter of landscape and figure.