Mary Sauer’s portraits and paintings of interiors are contemporary psychological narratives grounded in strong drawing skills and traditional painting techniques.
Kitchen interior with figure, oil on panel, 20 x 16 in.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and studied in New York at the Art Students League and Grand Central Academy. Returning to Utah, she earned a master’s degree at the University of Utah. She then apprenticed for two years with the classical realist painter William Whitaker (1943-2018). Whitaker acknowledged he was “most influenced by the academicians of the last century for their craftsmanship, by the impressionists for their color and life, and by the abstract expressionists for their boldness.”
When artists were asked to comment on his passing, Sauer wrote, “he had a way of building me up every time he told me everything that I was doing wrong in my painting. I always thought that his painting studio was one of the happiest places on earth.”
Kira in the library, oil on Artefex panel, 48 x 36 in.
Today, her painting style is recognizable from the lush impasto of her domestic interiors to the subtle softness of her figures. Her latest work will be shown at Meyer Gallery in Park City, Utah, from September 25 through October 25, with a reception on opening day from 6 to 8 p.m.
“This is our first major exhibition with Mary in two years and we’re thrilled to have her back,” says gallery owner Adam Hansen. “Very few artists possess her combination of technical excellence and brilliant storytelling, and our collectors love her quiet compositions and fluid brushwork.”
Bohemian Living Room, oil on panel, 20 x 16 in
Her fluid, seemingly effortless, brushwork is evident in paintings like Kitchen Interior with Figure, in which, she explains, “The woman is putting the last dish away after putting everything else in the room back in its rightful place.”
She describes Bohemian Living Roomas “a more direct narrative of a contemporary woman getting ready for the day as a man sits on the couch looking at his phone.”
Kitchen in the Summer, oil on panel, 10 x 8 in.
She had studied illustration at BYU but leaned heavily toward portraiture and interesting architectural interiors but was advised she couldn’t make a living painting portraits. One of her professors, however, arranged for her to attend the Portrait Society of America’s annual conference. After her experience there, the die was cast.
In 2012, one of her portraits was best in show in the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition.
A Place of Her Own, oil on panel, 40 x 30 in.
Among the portrait paintings in her upcoming exhibition is Kira in the Library. Sauer comments, “Kira is a model sitting in a library that represents learning and struggle in change. Each book represents a lesson or milestone acquired. Gaining wisdom and learning of one’s own weakness is sometimes a major challenge. Stretching, and accepting change can be one of the hardest things one faces in life. This painting depicts the moment before the struggle is won and we doubt if we can do it. The moment we fear we are alone but keep pushing through, having hope in the uncertainty of it turning out.”
Secret Garden, oil on panel, 40 x 30 in.
Having survived adversity in her own life and doubts about “it turning out,” Sauer is married, with a family and a successful career producing insightful paintings that are uniquely hers. She has followed in the footsteps of one of her most important historical influences, the portrait painter Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942). Beaux wrote, “When I attempt anything, I have a passionate determination to overcome every obstacle.” —
Meyer Gallery 305 Main Street • Park City, UT 84060 (435) 649-8160 • www.meyergallery.com
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