Marian Stamos Fine Artist in Oils: Still Life... Figurative... Landscape

Why I Paint.....

I paint because I simply must!  I am addicted to my brush!

Noise and ugliness pervade so much of our culture.  I choose to paint quiet peace and beauty in praise of an awesome God.  My painting subjects are widely varied.  I see beauty everywhere.  I paint flowers; calm country settings; treasured old buildings; antique ironstone, crocks and pewter; the simple abundance of vegetables and fruits; the pure fun and pleasure of life's daily moments; the beauty of human relationships.  These all are surely our Creator's gifts to us often presented as fleeting moments to be cherished and remembered.  My joy is to capture and record these gifts as best I can to preserve them for our continual pleasure.

I am often drawn to the quiet and simple life themes of my youth growing up in rural West Central Illinois ... and yet equally energized by the colorful excitement of the city.

My "studio" is the great room of my home where a large bay window provides fine northern light.

My painting style can best be described as "painterly realism."  While painting, I always remember that value, color and composition are essential to a good painting, but what makes a painting great is LIGHT.

Oils are my chosen medium because of their flexibility, rich color and buttery texture, and ability to magically convey depth and distance on the flat canvas surface.  Oils provide that special magic that occurs when one is fortunate enough to make that one "just right" brush stroke.

A bit about me....

Some years ago a headquarters move ended my long career in trade association management.  Through job placement counseling provided me at that time, I learned that my real interests and passion were not in corporate management but in the creative arts.  I was not surprised.  Many years prior I had dabbled in oil painting, but the demands of my career and personal responsibilities stood in the way of serious painting.

My personal career counselor connected me with Frankie Johnson of Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, Illinois.  I started taking classes here, loved painting and knew I was hooked for life.  I continue to take classes from Frankie and also study numerous art books, tapes and magazines.  My learning, of course, never stops ... and that is part of the fun of oil painting!

I am a member of the Northwest Area Arts Council (naac), the Arlington Heights Arts Guild and the Barrington Cultural Arts Center.