Lark MacPhail - Artist.

The act of painting has always intrigued me.  I love the application of paint to a surface.  I have worked in several mediums over the years depending on circumstance.  When my children were young, I worked exclusively in watercolor as it was on paper and easier to clean up.  When I was in art school, I used acrylic paint as it was fast dying and modern.  I have recently revisited acrylic for my more abstract work and when I am looking for fast drying time.  I have also worked with gouache as it is portable and convenient to use while traveling.   Once I acquired studio space, first at the Treetop studio in Winnetka, IL and then in my home in Owings Mill , MD I fell in love with the buttery texture and forgiving nature of oil paint which is now my main medium. Its slow drying time allows me to complete a painting alla prima or wet-into-wet in one session; thus, it works well for plein-air or field painting, where elements are constantly changing.

I find diverse painting styles to be like a language, and I am most comfortable communicating in representational art.  I really like to paint what I see.  That is why I spent many hours out in the field painting from life, working in a studio from a live model or still life set up.  I try to incorporate all the experience and knowledge I have gained from hours of observation when I am working from a photo or from my imagination. 

Since my move to Gulf Stream, FL. I have had to expand my art language.  I now have my studio at Gallery 255 in Delray Beach.  As I am spending more time there than out in the field, I am developing a more abstract instinctual. language. I am increasingly interested in the process of how my work evolves.  I try to approach each piece with a clear vision and road map.  This is a process that can be applied to both representational and abstract work.   I think of value structure, big shapes, color harmony and center of interest. as building blocks of my artistic language.  If I tackle those elements correctly, I am usually satisfied with the end results.   I can see me speaking in the finished work.

Additionally, my work is grounded by place.  I am very influenced by my surrounding, the geography, the community and the ebb and flow of daily life.  I have traded the rolling hills of Maryland and all its greenery and the charm of Baltimore for the beach town vibes of Delray, FL and the blue of the Atlantic Ocean.  I am finding inspiration in Florida’s moody skies, breaking waves, beach umbrellas, and local scenes.  My abstracts are my interpretation of sea glass, seashells and clouds.

I have been juried into many shows and exhibits over the years, and my work can be found in numerous private and corporate collections.  Currently. my paintings can be viewed in Maryland at Bozzuto Green Art Lutherville, MD and Gallery Framing LTD in Timonium, MD as well as locally at Gallery 255 Delray Beach, FL 

I was an art major in college and have completed graduate course work in Florence, Italy.  I taught art at the high school level and have participated in many workshops and classes and view art as a life long educational process.  My memberships include Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society.