The evocative paintings of Ann Dettmer, full of color, light and her unique personal take on the world. Some of the work will still be wet when she delivers it, straight from her studio high in the mountains of southwest Colorado. It’s brand new, fresh, immediate. Subject matter varies, including interiors, urban life and the land. As for style, she says: “I want my paintings a little on the edge and messy, like life, and I leave space for mystery. Then the magic can happen.” Respected by savvy collectors and peers alike, Dettmer has earned a solid reputation nationwide and is featured in “Color and Beyond”, Ann Templeton’s latest book. She is represented exclusively on the east coast by Mary Martin Gallery.
"My paintings represent my path of the past few years... sometimes great challenge (with it, of course, great opportunity) and, increasingly, deep gratitude. My work comes from my life, through how I see and feel my experience... right here, right now. I’m pretty immediate with my painting and with my living.
“I spent several years opening to myself, exploring new creative avenues as well as established ones here in Colorado, my home. Then, late in 2008 I traveled to our ancestral farm in Iowa, cared for my mother during her final time and, after, started to learn anew how to care for myself... and life. I returned home to Colorado late in 2010. I feel profound gratitude for my history and foundations, much of which is in the midwest. I have learned that my longtime home is indeed in the mountains; I am also learning that my love of my home here does not diminish my connection to my roots there. Simple, but for me profound.
“So, the work in this show reflects my time in Iowa, my return to ‘my‘ beloved mountains, my deepening conviction of the connecting thread running through all things, and the sacredness of each moment. It is varied and heartfelt.”
Dettmer’s work has always been autobiographical. She seems to have a direct link from heart through brush and paint to canvas. Respected by collectors and peers nationwide, her work explores a broad range of subject matter with strength and openness while maintaining the unique vision and underlying mystery for which she has become known.
Bedtime 16" X 20" Oil $2100
Generation 18" X 24" Oil $2700
Opus I 19" X 15" Oil $1900
Opus II 15" X 20" Oil $2000
Second and Main 30" X 36" Oil $6000
Afternoon Quiet 24" X 30" $4300
Evening Moves Across Land 12" X 36" Oil $2700
"Rudy's" Oil 12" X 24" $1900
"Keith's Cows" 30" X 20" Oil $3600
The Rite Spot" 20" X 30" Oil $3600
"Early Lunch" 12" X 24" Oil $1900
Blue Evening Light 30" X 15" $2,800
Main Street Magic 24" X 30" $4,300
Down By the River 30" X 15" $2,800
Artist Statement: "I am looking for passion and spirit painted with 'skillful honesty', for tension, for expression so real it almost falls off the edge, reality more than realism. Life is messy. It has depth and layers, balance, intrigue, light and dark, confusion and clarity. I don’t see much difference between life and painting. I want whatever I’ve brought to the canvas to flow through the strokes, the sensuous, luscious oil. Each painting takes on it’s own life early in the process so all I have to do is pay attention. The work represents my life - each piece is a moment in my time here on this earth. Through some memory, feeling, experience, the passion wells up and spills into my palette; it mixes with my paint. And the paint tells me what to do. I listen. I act on it. "
Dettmer lives in the mountains of southwest Colorado. The work is strong and personal, reflecting a unique and powerful vision. There seems to be a mystery about the work, something going on beneath the surface. The painting draws the viewer into a world, her world at that moment in time. Somehow, it evokes memories of places seen and a kind of romance about where you were and the people with whom you shared that moment. Seductive. Luscious. Entrancing
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Mary Martin GALLERY 103 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401 New Location Gallery Row on Historic Broad Street 843-723-0303
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