Twitter:@mary_gwyn_bowen
web: www.marygwynsart.com
Painting began for me at the age of eight. I nagged my parents to get me painting lessons as I was running out of “paint-by-number” kits. They relented and secured permission for me to join a group of senior citizens in a Saturday morning oil painting class. It was immediate love! As an eight year old with a group of sixty, seventy and eighty year olds, I never felt out of place. We were all learning to paint together. It was wonderful. My first painting was a copy of a piece from a Van Gogh landscape. I still love Van Gogh best.
After taking art classes off and on through out the school years and at the University of Memphis (Memphis State at the time), in young adulthood it became obvious that making a living might be difficult. Since I enjoy eating, I sought a career that would provide a steady income. Several run-ins with the medical field, as a child, led me to have a positive impression of the field so I decided to join them by obtaining a degree in nursing at Excelsior College. I soon found a love for the fast pace of the critical care field, primarily cardiac, and focused on cardiac nursing.
Always looking for adventure, my nursing career morphed into a medical sales career for an international medical equipment supplier. I was very quickly infected with the travel bug. For several years, I felt as though I was living in the airport. But traveling continuously did not allow time for painting or a personal life. The medical sales years closed out as do all adventures. It was time to put my feet back down on the ground.
Putting my feet back on the ground led to a return to art. The return began with classes at Richland College in Dallas, Texas. Two wonderful teachers at Richland helped me apply to several excellent art schools. The final choice was the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C. Washington is an exciting city of museums and politics. I loved the museums, hated the politics!
Eventually, I found my way back to my home state of Tennessee to Nashville, the Music City filled with creativity. My love for art and my knowledge of nursing led to looking at how the two mix. The Art to Heart research project at Vanderbilt University Medical Center became a project combining the two fields. As a fellow in the Evidence-Based Nursing Research Fellowship, my project evolved as a measure of the effects of art created by hospital staff on the post-operative rehabilitation of cardiac surgery patients and will be published in The Journal of MED/SURG Nursing in 2015. The second part of the Art to Heart Project studied how the art in the project impacted the nursing staff on the units and was my Capstone project for a master’s degree at The University of Florida’s College of Fine Arts.
Art in Healthcare is a growing field. The University of Florida’s Arts in Medicine (AIM) program is a leader in the field. While studying for a master’s degree at UF, I learned more about the AIM program and the wonderful ways it is bringing art to patients in the hospital.
The Painting Pundit blog came from my need to focus on art. My natural tendency is to jump around tasting this and tasting that. Art has always been my first true love. I needed to get back to it. While at Richland College in Dallas, I was a member of the Honors Literature Society where I discovered I also enjoyed writing. Writing about art helps me focus on art and issues of artists.
Today, I paint. I teach a workshop on Art in Healthcare at Watkins College of Art, Design and Film in Nashville. And I work a bit in surgical nursing.
I go by two first names, Mary Gwyn or two initials, M.G. I never go by Mary. There are too many Marys in my family. It’s confusing. So everyone is Mary Something.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll drop me a line in the comments.
Painting Pundit 
Well how about that for fast service – I complained, then went back to check that it really didn’t work – and now it works fine. First class customer service – you ought to start an inbound market course!
Thank You for liking my Design Piece !!! 🙂 *Cynthia
You’re welcome! Its beautiful!
Hi Mary..thank you for following my blog.
Anyway, you have cool paintings here. Nice!
I’m looking forward to your posts. Thanks for the nice comment on the art!!
Great to see you following dragonshades and really good to view your art. You have a very particular style and a lovely use of colour.
Thank you very much!!
I love your blog, Mary. I see that you have recently gotten started with this blog. Please continue. You have marvelous talent, and it’s wonderful to share it with the world. 🙂 Marsha 🙂
Thank you so much!!!
You wi go far pin the blogger world. 😄
I’ve never been to Tennessee, but it’s on my list. I bet it’s beautiful there. Nice to meet you!
Thank you! Hope you make a visit to Tennessee. Its a beautiful place but then I’m partial to these hills.
Welcome aboard, Mary; it’s good to meet you and a great pleasure to see your work.
Best wishes,
Miles and Pippa
Thank you so much! Your work is beautiful! I am looking forward to seeing more.
would you fancy a link that may make your day bright or brighter? http://kintal.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/playing-it-forward/ hope you do. 🙂
Thank you so much! Will play it forward by tomorrow!
Is there a picture of Twinkie?
Hi Mary Gwyn, thanks for your appreciation on my drawing!
You’re Welcome!! Nice work!!
I have nominated you for the Most Influential Blogger Award. Please know that You Inspire me, whether or not you choose to accept and pay forward the award. Should you feel inclined to do so, however, the how and why info can be found here: http://booknvolume.com/2013/11/24/the-quill/
Thank you so much for the deeply humbling honor. I am working on the response and will get it paid forward in the next day or so. You are always inspiring to me!
Thank YOU and enjoy 🙂
Blessings~
Hi my friend,
I’ve just nominated you for a 2013 Blog of the Year Award! See details here: http://kimkiminy.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/blog-of-the-year-award/
Have a great day!
Wow! Thank you so much! It will take me a few days to get it passed on! It will be fun!
Thanks for following my page :). Pls also check this other blog that I write, http://www.acuriousarmywife.wordpress.com, which is about being an Army wife in India. Cheers!
Hi! I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Please get the badge at http://wp.me/p32YrK-16X and get more info. Have a wonderful day. Blessings, belsbror
Thank you so much!! I can’t tell you how much it means to me!! I always enjoy the posts on your blog!
You are welcome. 🙂
I like your blog because I learn to appreciate art. Your posts are very informative and entertaining. Keep it up.
Blessings,
belsbror
Well if you aren’t the definition of lightworker then I don’t know who is… an honour to have discovered you and your radiant healing light… sweet and painterly dreams!
Thank you so much! What a wonderful thing to say! Best wishes to you!!
Nice and inspiring blog, Mary! Thanks for following “Known is a drop, Unknown is an Ocean”. 🙂
Thanks! Looking forward to our posts!
hi, Mary. i believe in starting the year right by passing this excellent award to you as one of the outstanding bloggers i’ve known. here’s the link http://kintal.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/excel/ cheers!
Thank you so much!! I love following your blog! Your art and poetry is always so uplifting!
Nominated you for The I’m NOT Featured On Freshly Pressed Award!
Check out: http://petitemagique.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/mega-award-shower/
Of course you don’t have to accept an award, just know you’re appreciated!
Lots of love,
Patty
Thank you so much, Patty! I am deeply honored!! Will try to get it played forward soon!
All the best,
Mary Gwyn
Thanks for visiting my site. You might get more out of another, book site which offers more regular posts. It is here http://bit.ly/Invol-main I must find a way to amalgamate or interconnect them, but art is part of the book in question. Thank you anyway! Loved your images
Thanks! Just visited the other site. Will come back when I have more time to enjoy.
Thanks so much Don! I am sorry to be so late in replying! I have been trying to find the time to reciprocate. Hopefully will do so soon. In the meantime, thank again!!
Thank you Mary for visiting my site Involution-odyssey. Glad to welcome you. Come again
Now look, Mary Gwyn – I think you should put some time in to trying to get some qualifications, OK? It’s all very well being well-intentioned, but qual.s are where it’s at. [GRIN!]
I believe you are right! Do you know where I can get some quals?? Somebody must sell them!
I’m glad you asked! I happen to know of a WUNNERFUL university in … umm … where is it? – oh yes, in North Platte Nebraska … They can arrange a PhD for you in no time at all. And I can see that you need that kind of thang … How much? did you ask … I think if you have some green stamps you should be right …
Heh heh …
I am out of green stamps! Do you have any to spare? Surely, it couldn’t cost too much. 3 or 4 stamps at the most, wouldn’t you think? I have never been to North Platte. Do you suppose they will actually force me to visit or can they just mail it to me?
You are beginning to give me the impression you don’t appreciate my advice. Humph. If I were you, with only 34,276 things in my c.v., I’d take ANY advice that was on offer.
However, if I am mistaken and you would like to be accredited by North Platte U, I am perfectly sure they would mail you their certificate without bothering you with having to actually do anything.
;-D
Oh I think your advice is great!! I would never have found out about North Platte U. I am very glad to hear they won’t force me to actually do anything. The others didn’t either. But school is so fun! Every decade I return for a little more. I am still deciding what I want to be when I grow up.
Thought so.
Well, glad to’ve been of such help. Just ask, any time.
[grin]
Hoo-roo from Downunder, you pore iggerant thang!
All the best to you! It’s nice to meet you. I am looking forward to following more of your writings on your blog. Hey Ya’ll Downunder from the country music capital, Nashville.
One of my very favourite movies!
Great!!
Many thanks for the follow. I hope you will visit again soon and often. Happy Sunday! .
Thank you! I will visit again soon!
Very inspiring post.
Thank you for sharing
Thank you for stopping by!
Hi MG! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and deciding to join me on my journey! It’s great to have you follow along! You have a fascinating background, I can only imagine how interesting your world must be! 🙂
Thanks again for joining me in my quiet little world.
Becky
Thanks, Becky! Looking forward to the journey!
Thank you for the following my blog.You have amazing paintings here.I love your website.Have a wonderful day,Krystyna
Thank you! I enjoyed looking at your blog and am looking forward to seeing more of your posts!
Thanks so much! I am deeply honored!
Thank you so much. This means so much to me!!
Mary: Just tuned in, glad I found you! Come visit me over at http://www.thatssojacob.wordpress.com if you’d like to see how I see the world. Greetings from Madison, Wisconsin, home to your newest follower!
Hi, Just checked it out. Looks like a fun blog! Happy blogging and thanks for stopping by!!
Best Wishes,
M.G.
What lovely things you do! Thank you so much for the follow. 😀
cate b
Hello Mary Gwyn! What a great nurse! Thank you for helping me through my surgery. I didn’t know that you were an artist as well. But, I love your art. How can so much talent be so alive in one person?
Hi Gene, how are you? I hope you are recovering well!