Â鶹Éç

Molly was born in Boston in l957 and grew up in Hingham, MA.  She and her husband Erik have lived in New Hampshire since 1998.  They have two adult children, Emily and Lance and a grandchild, Imogen Grace Wensberg Marshall.

Art and craft have been a driving force in Molly’s life from a very young age.  Textiles were always a focus and Molly studied fine art, weaving and textile design in High School and at Skidmore College.  After graduating, Molly worked as  master weaver for Helena Hernmarck Tapestries Inc.  Helena’s unique weaving technique for large scale tapestries of both realistic and abstract imagery provided a large volume of experience in color, composition, texture and other related issues.  Through weaving Molly says she learned to ‘paint with wool’ and that ledher to further studies in drawing and painting.

Realizing that her passion was truly as a painter, Molly left weaving in the 1990’s to pursue painting full time through coursework at the Univ. of NH along with studies at various community colleges and workshops. 

Molly’s work is inspired by her love of nature and the outdoors.   The everchanging variety of color, texture and atmosphere that is prevalent in rural New England are a constant source of inspiration.

Molly has been exhibiting and selling her work through galleries and shows since 1997.  Early in her career she was selected as one of ‘8 Emerging Artists in New England’ by the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH.  She has won numerous awards and achievements including twice being chosen as a finalist in the Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant.   She continues to paint in her home studio in Strafford, NH.

Living in rural New Hampshire, I’m surrounded and influenced by the rugged and ever changing landscape around me. My love of nature and the outdoors, and the constant variety in color, texture and atmosphere that is prevalent here in New England, are a constant source of inspiration for my work.

Paintings often begin with a plein air study, which later becomes a large painting in the studio. Photographs serve to reawaken a memory of a particular moment in time and may inspire a new piece. Paintings can develop from a very small ‘moment’ taken from a larger scene or simply from the colors, atmosphere and/or a feeling evoked that just strikes a chord in my mind.

Though representational in style, my aim is to paint the emotion of a place rather than focusing on specific local information. I remind myself constantly of the expression, ‘less is more’; what is left out of the painting is as important as what is put in. It is the absence, ‘the space between the lines,’ that jogs the senses and invites emotional involvement between the viewer and the painting.

Over the years I’ve tried to push the boundaries a bit more between realism and abstraction. Most recently paintings seem to ‘come out of my head’ rather than from specific locals. I paint mostly with a pallet knife rather than brush to further promote simplification of forms, build up the surface with paint and texture, and provide interesting and unexpected edges, blurred lines and scumbling.

My recent series, ‘Walk In The Woods,’ is inspired by my love of the outdoors, nature and hiking.  While working on these paintings, my thoughts focused on environmental issues, the importance of trees, and of saving forests around the world in addition to the inherent complexity, beauty, peace, life force and magic of the woods.  My ‘less is more’ philosophy had to take a back seat!