Christian Artist - Mary Crittenden
 

• Inspirational

  Religious Art Cards and Christian Art Prints

• Fine Art

  Fine Art Paintings and Illustrations

• Portraits

  Family Heirlooms . . . Portraits of Children, Adults and Animals

• Paintings From Old Photographs

  Fine Art Paintings Created From Old Photos

• New Fine & Inspirational Art Paintings

  Mary’s Most Recent Works

• Fine Art Paintings on Burlap

  Paintings Rich in Texture, Motion and a Three Dimensional Appearance

• Mary Crittenden's Testimony

• Calendar of Shows and Exhibits

• Security Information

Mary began painting before she was seven years old. Her father brought home enamel paints from work. Although these didn’t work too well, she did the best she could with the tools and talent she had to work with. Mary was hooked. She continued painting through high school where her teachers encouraged her to try for art scholarships; And so it went.

Now, as a middle-aged adult, Mary Crittenden is still painting. The enamel was replaced long ago with acrylics and oils, and the subjects in her paintings are so life-like they almost look like soft photographs. In fact, her paintings have a three dimensional appearance because of her expertise in handling depth perception. Mary has always enjoyed old photographs for the feelings they evoke of a more leisurely era. “I try to make them come alive,” she explains. Her flair for telling visual tales, her sense of design, and her love of color has led to Mary’s current focus: using bright, almost impressionistic oils to make historical snapshots as fresh as if they had been photographed today.

Mary feels it important that her portraits not only resemble a person, but, that they bring out the beauty and character of the person; It becomes an heirloom that will be passed down from generation to generation in memory. They are picture stories of loved ones; They say what is important to us. You can see Mary takes great pain and love in painting them. When looking at these paintings you would think she knew the people because of the warmth portrayed by them.

All of Mary’s paintings convey some sort of message; Some more than others. The paintings most dear to her heart convey the strongest messages about her Christian faith. One painting in particular, “Journey”, shows the backs of two children carrying Bibles and walking towards the light. Among them are dark trees, branches, and roots reaching up with clawlike appendages. Pasted below the children are actual newspaper clippings with headlines such as “Two accused of bringing guns to school”, “Heavy Metal Band Sued in Teenagers Suicide”, and “Arrest Rate For Youths Soars in S.F.” When this painting, titled “Journey”, is publicly displayed, Crittenden places the scripture, “Thy word is a lamp unto my path,” Psalm 119:105 beside it.

“I included newspaper clippings in this painting to show that these things are the things that pull kids down. But, if they walk towards the light and read the Word, the darkness won’t be able to get them.” Her deepest desire is that hearts be stirred towards God’s eyes; Opened to the truth that God is alive and speaks to us through His word, the Bible. “I just want God to get all the glory,” she said, “He’s the reason I paint what I paint; He gave me the talent.”

Mary Crittenden resides near the lovely town of Yreka, California. And, if you are ever in the area, you may call Mary and ask to view her studio. She would be happy to set up an appointment. Please take time to view all four areas of Mary’s breathtaking artwork. Mary offers most of her Inspirational paintings as lithographs (prints) and cards. All other artwork is negotiable. Mary can be contacted at either her e-mail address: maryan@spiritualart.com or by phone at 1-530-475-0373 for more information or to set up an appointment.

Please remember that all art is protected under United States Copyright law, by the individual artist and/or their agent(s). No images or text may be downloaded, transferred or stored on any electronic retrieval system or otherwise.