Maryellen Morrow
Artist Statement
For Maryellen Morrow, making art is a journey rather than a destination.
She describes an artist’s creative life as a thread—an idea that travels in many directions, gathering experiences and possibilities before finding its place in the finished work. That spirit of experimentation has shaped Maryellen’s path through painting, printmaking, ceramics, abstract work, and plein air painting.
Her artistic studies began when she was young and continued through college in Boston. After an early venture into advertising in Miami, she returned her focus to fine art, studying painting, printmaking, and ceramics. A master oil painting class helped her recognize her potential, while working in a shared studio environment encouraged conversations and new directions.
A residency on Canyon Road in Santa Fe became another turning point. Immersed in a living and working studio environment and surrounded by a vibrant art community, Maryellen painted large works, held a one-woman show, and explored abstraction.
Later, becoming part of a serious plein air painting group expanded her observation and technical skills while encouraging her to question her artistic vision.
That spirit of questioning—and the willingness to keep creating through both the rewards and disappointments—is central to Maryellen’s work.
“It is such an emotional game we play with ourselves,” she says. “The rewards and the disappointments can leave us vulnerable. But still we continue the practice, the discipline of creating.”
For Maryellen, painting is a way of processing the constant stream of information and inspiration that surrounds us. She describes forcing the paint onto the canvas and allowing the work to emerge through that ongoing feedback. It isn’t always pretty, and it isn’t always personal—but it is her best attempt to express what inspired her.
And that is why she continues to open her studio: to share the journey, perhaps inspire someone, or even excite someone enough to carry a small part of that journey home with them.
Visit Maryellen’s studio during the Durango Open Studio Tour and see where her artistic thread has led. You may find yourself wondering where it will go next.
Plein Air Painters of the Four Corners Website: Maryellen Morrow
Studio Address: 829 E. 5th Ave., Durango, CO 81301
Phone: 970-769-0204
