About Mollie
Hi, I am Mollie
A self-taught, visual artist based in Mississippi. I focus mainly on abstracts, though I also enjoy sketching and painting flowers and figures. I paint mostly with oil, but I will pull out acrylics from time to time. I love charcoal. Some of my paintings are very complex, involving multiple layers on the canvas; others are more minimal and focus on achieving balance through strokes and lines. I paint until I find harmony, often creating shapes over shapes until it feels right. Sometimes, however, the most minimal expression feels appropriate on its own.
I am inspired by…
music! I am almost always listening to music while painting and am often moved by the poetry, sound, and feeling of a lyric. My paintings can feel like visual representations of certain lyrics, and I seek to capture and remember the weight of that lyric on the canvas.
My faith also has a huge influence on my work, and I may allow Biblical passages or truths I’m trying to remember shape the composition of my painting.
Many of my paintings are hard won, the result of twists and turns and layers in an attempt to get it right. I am exhausted but happy when I finish those. Others are such a surprise, and what the painting is supposed to be makes itself known with minimal effort. I love it when that happens because I feel like more of a spectator than anything else.
While there can be such deep meaning to my paintings, I also enjoy creating paintings of simple strokes that evoke balance. I don’t really know how to explain it except to say that sometimes when the brush moves (almost moving at its own will), I often step back and realize it’s complete--beautiful and balanced-- and needs nothing more.
My JOURNEY to BECOMING an ARTIST
I do not have a background in art. I graduated from college with a Journalism/Public Relations degree and have always worked in that type of capacity. When the Covid Pandemic hit, I bought a paint set and began, both to create an activity for my kids and for other personal reasons. I was so bashful showing my art to a few close friends on a zoom call one afternoon. They encouraged me to keep painting. One day I decided to post a few paintings on Instagram, never imagining people would want to buy them. But they did. That is where it began, and it has been such a journey ever since - showing in galleries, participating in festivals, and shipping my art throughout the country. My deepest hope is to be a vehicle of God’s love to all with whom my art connects, and I hope to serve Him in it for as long as He allows.
When I am not painting…
you can find me listening to music, gardening, walking the dogs, learning French, and dreaming of travel. I enjoy reading, witty comments, and learning someone’s story. I am a curious soul with never enough time for anything! :)
