Preview a new collection of original oil paintings in this spotlight on a Charleston, South Carolina, artist.
Mary Ann Cope’s latest paintings showcase one of her favorite subjects in exquisite, loosely-rendered detail: still life arrangements featuring fine wine, long-stemmed glassware, and other visually rich objects enjoyed by wine enthusiasts.
This group of paintings conjuring memories of special occasions and delightful tastes, partaken of in cozy restaurants and far-away locales will be on spotlight March 6–10 at Hagan Fine Art Gallery, paired perfectly in time with Charleston’s famous Wine + Food Festival.
From the gallery:
Cope’s focus on vignettes of wine, cigars, and other fine tastes is a great example of “paint what you know.” Cope is a founding member of AuburnJames, an artisanal winery producing award-winning wines located on the famed Silverado Trail in the heart of Napa Valley. Over the past decade, she has rolled up her sleeves to work the sorting table during harvest and on occasion has added her nose and palate to the mix when the winemaking team makes blending decisions. She is a self-proclaimed oenophile, a student of wine and winemaking, and has traveled to many of the great wine regions of the world. For Cope, knowing the winemaker’s story and the nuances of the vineyard provides an intimacy with the wine and heightens the appreciation of its expression, allowing her to convey an emotional connection in her work.
After a multi-decade career as an entrepreneur and healthcare CEO with a passion for collecting great art, Cope left the corporate world to hone her artistic skill set and studied under several well-known contemporary artists. She applies a consummate drive for craftsmanship and diligent study in her quest for artistic excellence. Her explorations in drawing, composition, rich color palettes, and oil painting techniques have proved highly popular among the patrons at Hagan Fine Art Gallery in Charleston, SC, and with private art collectors from coast to coast. Her subjects radiate and seduce the viewer with warm tones of reflected light and rich colors that call to mind delightful memories.
In her choice of wine subjects, her compositions express a universal love of fine craftsmanship and extraordinary tastes.
Says Hagan Fine Art Gallery owner Karen Hewitt, “Mary builds her creative vision for each painting upon a foundation of technical expertise in both wine-making and fine art techniques. Her knowledge as a vintner informs her paintings in convincing ways. I think her professional immersion in both worlds—fine art and fine wine-making—lends a touch of distinction to her artworks. Her work is highly collected; she is on the move up and is an artist to watch and collect now.”
“A Toast to the Finer Tastes” is on view at Hagan Fine Art Gallery (Charleston, SC) March 6– 10, 2019.
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