About the Artist:

“Ships and Seas and Scraps of Things”, a show of watercolor paintings by Weston artist, Mary Jo Rines, will be featured at the Gallery at First Parish Church in Weston through April 25th.  Rines, who has taught techniques of watercolor workshops for (as she says) “the last century”, has a long and rich creative history.   This show, inspired by nautical images of ships and the seaside, is a colorful collection of abstracts that reflect the skill and maturity Rines brings to her artwork.  “The geometric shapes in some of these paintings are a departure from the soft underwater shell series - which identified my work in previous years”  Rines says.  “I have attempted to project a feeling of space so that the images move in and out as well as across the surface of the paper.”  Rines feels that the challenges of watercolor can be offset by using layering techniques and by adding more opaque colors to build up a surface and richness of color.

Rines has won over 46 painting awards including the Gold Medal of Honor from the New England Watercolor Society.  She has been a member of the New England Watercolor Society since 1979 and served as the president from 1988-1990.  She is also a signature member of the “Transparent Watercolor Society of America”.  For many years, she ran the “Deep Cove Workshops” from her studio on Southport Island, Maine.  She has traveled throughout the world capturing images of other cultures and has escorted painting safaris in Kenya and Tanzania.  Her work can be viewed at www.mjrinesstudio.com.  

Rines will be hosting a reception in the gallery on Sunday, March 9th from 2-4pm.  The Gallery at First Parish is located at 349 Boston Post Road in Weston.  The exhibit is free and open to the public during the church’s regular hours.  For more information or directions, please call the church at 781-893-7798.

For more information please visit mjRinesStudio.com e-mail MaryJo@mjRinesStudio.com