INTERVIEW: Lennie Mullaney | Ogunquit Art Association (OAA) Showcase Artist

Lennie Mullaney is an Ogunquit Art Association member-artist (Painter) and one of our 6 Showcase Artists at Barn Gallery for the 2024 Season.

Lennie Mullaney’s Showcase at Barn Gallery will run from May 22nd – June 22nd, 2024 with an Opening Reception on Saturday, May 25th (from 4PM – 7:30PM) and a Gallery Talk (along with Painter, Lou Kohl Morgan) on Thursday, June 13, 6 PM.

Learn more about the Barn Gallery 2024 Schedule: barngallery.org/2024-season

How long have you been a member of the OAA? And what do you like best about it?

I have been a member of the OAA for over ten years. The vibrancy and comradery of the artists, their multifaceted, ever-evolving work, and the interaction with art lovers who come to visit our gallery all fill me with energy and joy.

Members of the OAA are very supportive of the creative growth of other members. I learn from my fellow colleagues how to experiment, take risks and grow.

Engagement with the community is another valuable opportunity to receive feedback and to reflect on one’s successes or need-to-improve areas. Art is communicating a visual perception of oneself, the world one lives in, and what moves one’s heart. How do others respond to what your head, heart and hand created?

Does your showcase have a title?

Yes, “A Plein Air Walkabout”.

What is your concept for the showcase?

“A Plein Air Walkabout” is a celebration of my lifetime love of the outdoors.

As a kid, whenever I could escape from chores and childcare, I took off to the forests and spent my free hours climbing trees to peer into nests, overturning rocks to look for salamanders, lying in fields watching clouds scuttle overhead, or wading in the brook and painting my body with colored clay.

As a plein air painter, I can find beauty in the mountains, in town squares, by the ocean or in a junkyard. I am fascinated by the effect light has on shape, color, value and edges. The cool morning light and golden evening light are magical.

I am a direct or alla prima painter. Large studio pieces are a culmination of studies done in the field or – in the winter – from interiors, still life or floral setups. I see art everywhere. Thus, this body of work is a selection of paintings from New England and recent trips to Italy and Ireland.

Let’s talk, for a moment, about your materials. Do you prefer a particular material or presentation?

My materials change over the years as I explore different media and painting surfaces.

Currently, I primarily paint in oils on linen, canvas or wood panels. I prefer a very limited palette in oils, mixing all secondary or tertiary colors. A limited palette allows for better color harmony. While color gets all the credit (and I do love color), it is really values that make or break a painting. I constantly compare light to dark, warm to cool, hard edges to soft, broken or lost edges. I use a medium to paint wet in wet and try to finish without overworking. All these ideals are still a work in progress.

Tell us about how this showcase moves your art journey forward.

This showcase gives me the opportunity to look back at the last year or two and see what I have learned. If I turn a painting to the wall for a few weeks or months, then take a fresh look, I always find areas that need improvement.

In a showcase, my learning process is now on display to the public. Feedback from my fellow OAA friends and the public will motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries of change. I have no desire to repeat the same formula over and over. I want to see fresh, to simplify, to say more with less. Art should have some mystery and leave a space for the viewer to take a walkabout.

Lennie Mullaney is both an artist and teacher. Her studio, 211A is in The Button Factory on 855 Islington St. in Portsmouth NH 03801.

Much of her work is done “en plein aire”. She is an observational artist who responds to the environment around her. “Painterly” in style, she strives to simplify that which is observed to shape, color and value.

Lennie is a member of the NH Art Association, NH Plein Air Artists Association, the Ogunquit Art Association, and NHMade. Her paintings can be seen by appointment at the Button Factory on 855 Islington St, Portsmouth, NH. Studio 211A. Commissions are welcomed.

Lennie holds a MFA in Painting from UNH and a MS in Art Education from CCSU. She has studied painting abroad in Italy. Lennie has exhibited in numerous juried, solo and group shows throughout the New England and in Italy. Her work is in many private and public collections.

LEARN MORE: lenniemullaney.com

Interview by Dustan Knight.