Biography
MaryEllen Hackett is an observational landscape painter whose work captures the environment she lives and works in. She has a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from Adelphi University in NY. Hackett has received artist in residence positions at Weir Farm National Historic Site, Fire Island National Seashore, Joshua Tree National Park, the Vermont Studio Center, and a work/study at the Center for Book Arts in NYC. She has been interviewed for Adventure Journal, Howl Often, and in 2019 was included in the She Explores book, written by Gale Straub and published by Chronicle Books. Currently she lives and works in the Sierra Nevada.
Artist Statement
I was raised to be a beachcomber; a magpie of pebbles and shells. Each object was imbibed with its time and place of discovery. It was as if my memory could not be jarred by anything but sight and touch. My paintings are a way to continue to collect the waypoints of my life, but while treading lightly in the landscape.
Once, the objects of my desire were limited to the pocket- what could be held in the hand. The mountain had to stay, if only because of the limited size of my bag. Then one day, in a story my mother tells, I took a whole tree off a mountain. Next came an osprey, and then the barn of a family friend. Eventually I could hold the whole view through an observational sketch. My paintings have become the map at the beginning of a book, the kind that only shows the places pertinent to the story.
My artistic process begins with paintings and drawings done from observation. I complete most, if not all, of the painting on scene- finishing the piece working from memory and written notes taken while sketching. My education emphasized editing for the sake of emphasis, so while my paintings are based in life, they are not meant to be a photo of it. The scale is intimate- most days my paintings travel tucked into the leaves of the notebook in my pack. The subjects, whether the sweeping views familiar to others in the public landscapes I live and work in or the private view out my windows, are reflections of experiences had and days remembered.
Additional prints and paintings made in the studio follow much of the structure of my observations, while allowing for focus on particular subjects that resonate after leaving the field.
Education
2010 B.F.A. in Studio Art, Painting and Printmaking, Summa Cum Laude, Adelphi University, N.Y.
2007 New York Studio School Summer Marathon with Linda Darling and Joe Santore, New York Studio School, New York
Selected Exhibitions/Bibliography
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2010
Residencies
2015
2014
2013
Honors, Awards, Curatorial Projects
2020 $500 Monetary Award, Yosemite Rennaissance, CA
2019 Featured Profile in She Explores, writetn by Gale Straub, published by Chronicle Books
2016 Centennial Artist Ambassador, Weir Farm NHS, National Park Service, USA
2013 Artist /Writer Grant, Vermont Studio Center, VT
2012 Honorable Mention, Paint the Parks, El Dorado, KS
2010 Monetary Award for Achievement in Fine Arts, Adelphi University, New York
2009 Curator: Donald Hendricks; Painting and Paper Castings, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
Bibliography
Adventure Journal Feature
She Explores Feature
Howl Often Feature
MaryEllen Hackett is an observational landscape painter whose work captures the environment she lives and works in. She has a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from Adelphi University in NY. Hackett has received artist in residence positions at Weir Farm National Historic Site, Fire Island National Seashore, Joshua Tree National Park, the Vermont Studio Center, and a work/study at the Center for Book Arts in NYC. She has been interviewed for Adventure Journal, Howl Often, and in 2019 was included in the She Explores book, written by Gale Straub and published by Chronicle Books. Currently she lives and works in the Sierra Nevada.
Artist Statement
I was raised to be a beachcomber; a magpie of pebbles and shells. Each object was imbibed with its time and place of discovery. It was as if my memory could not be jarred by anything but sight and touch. My paintings are a way to continue to collect the waypoints of my life, but while treading lightly in the landscape.
Once, the objects of my desire were limited to the pocket- what could be held in the hand. The mountain had to stay, if only because of the limited size of my bag. Then one day, in a story my mother tells, I took a whole tree off a mountain. Next came an osprey, and then the barn of a family friend. Eventually I could hold the whole view through an observational sketch. My paintings have become the map at the beginning of a book, the kind that only shows the places pertinent to the story.
My artistic process begins with paintings and drawings done from observation. I complete most, if not all, of the painting on scene- finishing the piece working from memory and written notes taken while sketching. My education emphasized editing for the sake of emphasis, so while my paintings are based in life, they are not meant to be a photo of it. The scale is intimate- most days my paintings travel tucked into the leaves of the notebook in my pack. The subjects, whether the sweeping views familiar to others in the public landscapes I live and work in or the private view out my windows, are reflections of experiences had and days remembered.
Additional prints and paintings made in the studio follow much of the structure of my observations, while allowing for focus on particular subjects that resonate after leaving the field.
Education
2010 B.F.A. in Studio Art, Painting and Printmaking, Summa Cum Laude, Adelphi University, N.Y.
2007 New York Studio School Summer Marathon with Linda Darling and Joe Santore, New York Studio School, New York
Selected Exhibitions/Bibliography
2021
- Yosemite Renaissance 36, Yosemite Gateway Art Center, CA. Yosemite Museum, CA
- Medium as Muse, Invitee small group show, Nassau County Museum of Art, NY
- Yosemite Renaissance 35, Yosemite Museum, CA (Award winner)
2019
- Plein Air from Weir Farm, G and B Cultural Center, Wilton, CT
- The Great Outdoors, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, CA
- Flat Rate Contemporary 2, NY
- Stocked Artist at the Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite, CA
- She Explores, By Gale Straub, Published by Chronicle Books
2018
- Jekyll Island Art Association Juried Show, Jekyll Island, GA (Second Place)
- Home, Maker's Magazine, Canada
2017
- Yosemite Renaissance, Yosemite Museum, CA
2016
- Small Wonders, Maryland Federation of Art, MD
- Our Nation's Splendor, St Joseph's College, NY
- National Parks, Ferry Terminal, Patchogue, NY
- Art in America, Curated by Julie Torres, Presbyterian College, South Carolina
- Juried Alumni Show, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
2015
- Art in America, Curated by Julie Torres for Artist Run, The Satellite Show Miami, FL
- American Landscapes, Curated by John Morrell, Maryland Federation of Art, MD
- Late Summer, Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite, CA
- Artists on Site, Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton, CT
- Juried Alumni Show, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
2014
- Sprouting, Grouping, Attending, Discovering, MarxHausen Gallery, Seward, NE
- Identity of Place, Omni Gallery, Hempstead, NY
- Parallax Views; New Views of an Icon, Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite, CA
- MaryEllen Hackett, Works from Weir, Wilton Library, Wilton, CT
- Winter Invitational, 9 East Gallery, Huntington, NY
- Mail Art: Memory, Richmond Art Gallery, British Columbia
2013
- On the Horizon; Contemporary Landscapes, curated by Kellyann Monaghan. Adelphi University, NY
- Work featured in Impeachable Journal of art and writing
- Single Fare 3, RH Gallery, NY, NY
2012
- Paint America juried exhibition, honorable mention, El Dorado, KS
- Juried Alumni Show, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
2010
- Fire Island National Seashore Juried Exhibition, Fire Island NS, New York
- BFA Senior Fine Art Exhibition, University Center Gallery, Garden City, New York
Residencies
2015
- Weir Farm National Historic Site, CT. Appointed Ambassador Artist for 2016 National Park Service Centennial
2014
- Fire Island National Seashore, NY
- Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton, CT
2013
- Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
- Work/ Study, Center For Book Arts, NYC
- Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Honors, Awards, Curatorial Projects
2020 $500 Monetary Award, Yosemite Rennaissance, CA
2019 Featured Profile in She Explores, writetn by Gale Straub, published by Chronicle Books
2016 Centennial Artist Ambassador, Weir Farm NHS, National Park Service, USA
2013 Artist /Writer Grant, Vermont Studio Center, VT
2012 Honorable Mention, Paint the Parks, El Dorado, KS
2010 Monetary Award for Achievement in Fine Arts, Adelphi University, New York
2009 Curator: Donald Hendricks; Painting and Paper Castings, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
Bibliography
Adventure Journal Feature
She Explores Feature
Howl Often Feature