Christine Loschiavo, www.HomeSweetAzHome.com

South Mountain Inspiration

Ahwatukee Foothills' own Mary Lou Stewart has an artist's exhibit at the Chandler Center for the Arts. Her exhibit is titled Paintings and Assemblages. She creates dioramas and paintings of quirky subjects that interest her. She collects objects during her daily South Mountain hikes and includes them in her pieces. Her three dimensional artworks are colorful and fascinating to see. Arizona artist, Mary Lou Stewart, has lived in Arizona since 1979, and has taught in the community college system for ten years, currently in the fine art department at Chandler Gilbert Community College. Her background in fine art embraced drawing and composition, and sculptural form.

Mary Lou has collected small items from her travels throughout her life, always attracted to the minute forms of nature, which inspired her painting career and resulted in an abundant amount of work. However, as a creative expressionist, she felt the linear quality of painting was limiting. She began a transition from the paintings and began to explore construction and assemblage. Soon she was incorporating small bones, shells and odd collectibles from her travels into dioramas that slowly grew from small boxes to larger structures. With the combination of her paintings, her sculptural assemblages began to take shape and balance the world for her creativity. Mary Lou Stewart is also a member of the Chandler Arts Commission.

Her work is on display at the Chandler Center for the Arts Exhibition Hall from August 8th through September 13th, 2008.

Exhibition Hall Hours:

Monday-Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturdays: Noon-5pm
Admission is Free