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. In 2020 she was included in "Museum as Muse," a 3 person show at the Nassau County Museum of Art in NY. You can find her artwork featuring Yosemite and the greater Sierra Nevada at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park. Currently she lives and works between the mountains and coast of California.
Artist Statement
I was raised to be a beachcomber; a magpie of pebbles and shells. My paintings are a way to collect the waypoints of my life, but while treading lightly in the landscape. They have become the map at the beginning of a book, the kind that only shows the places pertinent to the story.
I begin with paintings and drawings done from observation. My education encouraged 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 pages of the notebook in my pack.
Recent studio pieces are created using plein air paintings and drawings as the structure for the compositions. The end results are focused more on the paintings rather than the landscapes that inspired them. In 2022 I returned to oil paintings on wood panels using this process. I use a small amount of cold wax medium to turn down the gloss of the oil paint, further connecting the oil paintings to the style of the gouache paintings they are referencing.
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
2023
Residencies
2015
Honors, Awards, Curatorial Projects
2022 Juried as Signature Member, Cowgirl Artists of America
2022 Selected for the Point Reyes Open Studios as full-member.
2022 Monetary Award, Yosemite Renaissance, CA
2020 Monetary Award, Yosemite Renaissance, CA
2019 Featured Profile in She Explores, written 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. In 2020 she was included in "Museum as Muse," a 3 person show at the Nassau County Museum of Art in NY. You can find her artwork featuring Yosemite and the greater Sierra Nevada at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park. Currently she lives and works between the mountains and coast of California.
Artist Statement
I was raised to be a beachcomber; a magpie of pebbles and shells. My paintings are a way to collect the waypoints of my life, but while treading lightly in the landscape. They have become the map at the beginning of a book, the kind that only shows the places pertinent to the story.
I begin with paintings and drawings done from observation. My education encouraged 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 pages of the notebook in my pack.
Recent studio pieces are created using plein air paintings and drawings as the structure for the compositions. The end results are focused more on the paintings rather than the landscapes that inspired them. In 2022 I returned to oil paintings on wood panels using this process. I use a small amount of cold wax medium to turn down the gloss of the oil paint, further connecting the oil paintings to the style of the gouache paintings they are referencing.
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
2023
- On Common Ground, 2 person show with Martino Hoss at the Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite, CA
- Juried Point Reyes Open Studios, Memorial Day Weekend 2023
- Solo show at the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center May/June
- Art of the Valley, Visalia Arts Juried Exhibition, Visalia, CA
- Juried Alumni Show, Adelphi University, NY
- Yosemite Renaissance 37, Yosemite Museum, CA
- Yosemite Renaissance 36, Yosemite Gateway Art Center, CA. Yosemite Museum, CA
- Medium as Muse, 4 person show, Nassau County Museum of Art, NY
- Yosemite Renaissance 35, Yosemite Museum, CA (Award winner)
- 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
- Jekyll Island Art Association Juried Show, Jekyll Island, GA (Second Place)
- Home, Maker's Magazine, Canada
- Yosemite Renaissance, Yosemite Museum, CA
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Paint America juried exhibition, honorable mention, El Dorado, KS
- Juried Alumni Show, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
- 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
- Fire Island National Seashore, NY
- Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton, CT
- Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
- Work/ Study, Center For Book Arts, NYC
- Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Honors, Awards, Curatorial Projects
2022 Juried as Signature Member, Cowgirl Artists of America
2022 Selected for the Point Reyes Open Studios as full-member.
2022 Monetary Award, Yosemite Renaissance, CA
2020 Monetary Award, Yosemite Renaissance, CA
2019 Featured Profile in She Explores, written 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