{"id":25503,"date":"2013-06-24T10:48:07","date_gmt":"2013-06-24T14:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.pro\/?p=25503"},"modified":"2018-01-04T15:17:10","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T20:17:10","slug":"mg-stout-moving-staying-motivated-making-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/2013\/mg-stout-moving-staying-motivated-making-art\/","title":{"rendered":"MG Stout on Moving, Staying Motivated & Making Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

Artist Mary Gallagher Stout (Also known as MG Stout) not only captures animals’ unique personalities though her stylized pet portraits<\/a>, but also conveys a bit of her own personality though each of these soulful pieces, which seem to be dripping with warmth and emotion. <\/p>\n

Mary admits that she’s faced some challenges on her way to becoming a professional artist, and she graciously spoke candidly with me about discovering her passion for art, using her work to promote social change, and making the decision to transition to a new studio space in order to put her paintings in prime public view. <\/p>\n

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You mentioned in your UncommonGoods artist bio<\/a> that you studied philosophy in school. How did a philosophy degree turn into a career in art?<\/strong>
\nHere are the cliff notes-I never felt like I was good at anything. I doodled privately and I studied philosophy because I wanted to learn how to think. My ambition was to become a professor. University life seemed to suit me. After I received my BA, I applied to a few graduate programs and moved to RI with my fiance. The following year brought a wedding, a new baby and a severe case of postpartum depression. The love of my family and ART saved me. <\/p>\n

What the what? Art saved you? How so? Among the laundry list of psychological issues from which I suffered, and there were many, I became agoraphobic. I was terrified to leave my house, and heaven forbid it should rain–I\u2019d cry all day. *I was a delight to be around<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, my mother-in-law knew that I wanted to paint the sanitarium white walls of my home and suggested that I grab a brush. I painted practically every surface in the house. I did murals, faux finishes and furniture. I think I even painted a few shades! To my surprise, people were really impressed with my work. When my faculties returned and the anxiety passed I started a decorative painting business and have been painting ever since. <\/p>\n

*My company actually was the opposite of delightful.<\/em><\/p>\n

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What lead you to start painting animals? How did the custom aspect come into play?<\/strong>
\nI used animal imagery as an analogy to raise awareness of the vulnerability of the arts and art programming. Endangered species, the environment, and the arts need community support to thrive and flourish. The National Endowment for the Arts budget is the first to be cut when funding is being dispersed. I wanted to demonstrate how art impacts and enriches our lives and so I co-produced a free community event at the Workhouse Arts Center<\/a> called ART OUT LOUD- a fusion of art and music. <\/p>\n