Mary Beth McKenzie

Everything in painting is about relationship, so I judge each area by its relationship to the surrounding areas.

— Mary Beth McKenzie

I usually start by doing one or more color studies of the subject on a piece of canvas taped to cardboard.

— Mary Beth McKenzie

I always work directly from life, partly because I really enjoy having an interaction with the person in front of me but…

— Mary Beth McKenzie

Leaving some areas less finished in a painting, or more out of focus than others, allows the imagination to finish them and…

— Mary Beth McKenzie

Artists make things so much easier for themselves when they learn to trust their eyes.

— Mary Beth McKenzie

Nothing is more beautiful than a line that brings out a form.

— Mary Beth McKenzie

Sometimes working on one painting will help solve a problem in another painting.

— Mary Beth McKenzie

Most beginners are too anxious for results. Real progress takes place over a long period of time.

— Mary Beth McKenzie

A painting has its own existence and reality, and I make changes freely to meet the painting's needs. This sometimes takes me…

— Mary Beth McKenzie

You have to evolve as an artist, and this is really a lifelong process.

— Mary Beth McKenzie

Cats sleep in a state of total abandon, and I find that state very interesting in people as well.

— Mary Beth McKenzie