About Me
Hi, I'm Mary James Ketch, a painter living in the woods outside Norman, Oklahoma. I paint the world I want to live in–dreamy, beautiful and evocative.
Here are some things I believe:
Everyone deserves to live in an inspiring space.
Our environments affect the way we feel. I have to think that, I'm married to an architect! But I also know this to be true, because I feel it. I feel the way light, color and sounds affect me. My emotional sensitivity that was my Achilles heel as a child is now my superpower as a painter.
I'm pretty sure I live in the most beautiful house in the world, but I also want everyone else to feel the same way about their home, which is why I focus on the feeling a painting will evoke.
It is also why a portion of my income goes to combating homelessness. Because sometimes the most beautiful thing in the world is four blank walls you feel safe in.
You don't need a special degree to understand art.
I have a few degrees: a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and a M.F.A from the University of Southern
California, School of Cinema-Television. But I am a self-taught artist, and my painting process is very intuitive. Just as we instinctively know whether a place makes us feel comfortable or not, we know whether we are attracted to a painting or not. The highest compliment I receive is when someone tells me a painting I did makes them feel something.
The internet can be a magical place.
I know, I know, the internet can be a not so magical place too. But, the internet makes my life possible. It allowed us to find each other! It allows me to be a self-represented artist which means I can sell my art directly to you. It means you can reach out to me through email or Instagram and tell me about your life and what is inspiring you. And every few weeks, through the magic of email, I send out the story behind one of the paintings. If you are interested, sign up for my newsletter, Painting Stories.
