Art Gallery

Current Featured Artist Exhibition: Mary Lou Wiegand – Some Wisdom, Some Fun

An artist since early childhood, Mary Lou Wiegand recalls her first act of creation as a toddler “painting” with her mother’s lipstick on the walls—an early sign of a lifelong instinct for color and form. With constant companions in coloring books and crayons, and later a formative drawing kit, she developed an intuitive grasp of anatomy, foreshortening, and facial structure. Though encouraged briefly in high school after recognition from an art program, she was steered away from pursuing art professionally and spent many years placing it second. Only in the past five to six years has she fully embraced sharing her work, stepping into exhibitions with both excitement and vulnerability. A member of several art organizations, including the Brighton Art Guild, Michigan Watercolor Society, and Michigan Plein Air Painters, she continues to refine her practice through weekly study and decades of classes with accomplished artists.

Her creative process is immersive and meditative—often accompanied by music such as Debussy’s Clair de lune—where she enters a focused, almost “Zen” state that dissolves time and physical awareness. Working primarily in watercolor and oils, she is drawn to the luminosity of glazes, the shifting moods of light, and the expressive power of color, proudly identifying herself as a “colorist.” Inspiration comes from both the natural world and human moments: plein air landscapes, fleeting interactions, personal memories, and imagination all find their way into her work. Over a lifetime of creating—now spanning more than seven decades—she has illustrated five children’s books, painted a large-scale mural, and exhibited in juried shows such as Tamarack, “The Best of West Virginia Art.” Her art reflects a deep commitment to beauty, observation, and meaning, with a continuing desire to explore, express, and share while time allows.