“No artist worked more rapidly than she did, and her pictures had such merit that they sold for higher prices than those of [other] well-known contemporary painters, whose works fill our galleries.” - Pliny the Elder (c. 77 A.D.)1
1. Although Pliny the Elder is not regarded as a specialist in art criticism (and possibly faulted for placing speed of execution in such high regard), it seems there can be no controversy about the factual basis of this quote.
That is to say there was at least one woman who was working during the 1st century (either BCE or CE) whose work exhibited such skill that it demanded a higher price than work given greater esteem in the established art venues of Pliny's time.
The quote above so perfectly sums up the situation regarding Endico haute conduite watercolors that the laws of logic are set in a death match against irony nearly 2000 years later.
Despite over 15,000 original watercolors sold worldwide while receiving numerous awards for her work during the last quarter century, one still must travel to the artist's studio (or contact her through this web site) in order to purchase the work. Also the number of so called "museums" and "galleries" that claim to be archival institutions representing works of 20th & 21st century artists, but fail to house even a single Endico in their permanent collections, is a marvel and a mystery. Maybe not so mysterious if you remember to take the terms 'museum' and 'gallery' with the appropriate grains of salt.
The quote above comes from Book 35 of Pliny the Elder's Natural History (on Roman Painting) and is taken from the secondary source:
Janson, H. W., and Anthony F. Janson. History of Art. 1913. 6 ed. Wilmington, NC: Prentice Hall, Inc., 2001. 195.
Of course the Ashville Museum and the Kentucky Museum (Western Kentucky University) are the exceptions to the rule stated by Pliny above which 2000 years later remains true for Mary today.
Otherwise, Endico collectors often extend the irony thus:
Hi Mary,
I purchased #4147 (large floral) last Saturday as an anniversary present (my husband was with me).
I know you prefer brief queries - so I'll try - but I'm sure I'll fail miserably, since I don't have the right vocabulary to discuss art.In any case, I have 3 rather ingenuous questions for you - and remember - I freely admit to having no knowledge of art! I will also admit that I have no decorating sense.
1. Is there a "best" way to collect art?
I see a couple of possibilities:
a). work room by room - begin with my bedroom and newly purchased painting (#4147) and look for complementary pieces.
b). merely buy what I like - though I'm not sure how to blend with what I already have in my living room which is my own b & w landscape & portrait photography. Example: I really liked the "tree" painting we discussed, possibly for my living room - to hang over the mantle - would it work with the b&w's?
2. For either option - do I build upon color, style, subject?
For example: #4147 is a floral. I have 2 other bare bedroom walls. I like the colors in the floral, and I like your landscapes and haute conduite, but I have virtually paralyzed myself (I believe "analysis paralysis" was coined with me in mind) as I have been thinking about how to proceed from here. I feel that displaying only florals would be boring! I think I would want something from the haute visée collections choosing the same colors as the floral - BUT - perhaps emphasizing colors/shades that were used minimally in the floral. Does this sound nuts???
3. Final question.
I have a modest budget, so $6-750 per wall is my limit. I'm going to assume that anything I saw in your gallery (like the tree!) won't be around 3 months from now when I can make my next purchase. While I understand works are non-duplicatable - would it possible to order something similar? I think by "similar" I mean in the ballpark - colors, light, essence - NOT number of branches, leaves, etc. Does that make sense?
Sorry for the ramble. I prefer a succinct writing style, but I suppose that only works best when one is less overwhelmed!
Many thanks for the beauty you've brought to my small world.Lydia
Princeton NJObviously Lydia is being modest with regard to her knowledge of art and design aesthetic. She mentions other art work (photography) in her home is her own. Plus when she was in the Endico studio all of her choices were very astute. She also mentioned her strong background in music and that she currently teaches at Rutgers University in the area of Human and Community Development. She is doing very important work.
Modesty regarding artistic understanding is not uncommon, so here is a quick starter course from Mary about designing and developing your own art collection space.
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Hi,
Thank you so much for the postcard we received from your studio. We have the lovely painting that we bought from you in the hall in our home, and lots of our visitors remark on it. We delight in telling them where and when we bought it.Your postcard has reminded us of a lovely holiday.
Thanks Again,
D&D B
Prosperous, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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Hi Mary,
I wake up each morning to two Endico's in my bedroom. I have two in my hallway in the front of the house and another in another bedroom. I wouldn't part with them no matter how much they were worth. We purchased the first one back in the early 80's because we fell in love with it and just kept coming back for more. You re-matted our first one right before we moved to Florida back in 2000. I'm glad we received your latest postcard so we could visit your nice website.
Regards,
Carolyn
Kissimmee, FL******************************
Mary,
The painting arrived and is more beautiful than I remembered. Thank you.
Stacy Green
Wesley Chapel, FL******************************
Hi Mary,
Sorry for the lag, the painting got here last Tuesday. There isn't a compression technology in the world that will ever come close to this painting up close and real. Now I really will have to visit the Louvre someday. I had almost tricked myself into thinking the Internet made all men equal.
John Mitchell
Hilliard, OH******************************
Dear Mary,
Everything looks terrific! You truly are blessed w/ a talent. Thank you so much. We decided we are going to save this summer and get a big one for the bedroom. So you will see us soon!
Rob & Debbie
New Windsor, NY******************************
Dear Mary,
I have 4 of your watercolors which I bought in Sugar Loaf in the early 80's when we lived in Middletown, NY. Two are water scenes with wheeling gulls. They hang in my bedroom and living room respectively. I love them and the feelings they still evoke. The other 2 I bought for my then 7 year old daughter who fell in love with them...a seated zebra and a standing unicorn. Those have been re-matted, and they now hang in my granddaughter's room. I've since retired to Memphis, and I would like to know if there is a catalog of available Endico watercolors as I'd like to purchase another painting. I looked at the 17 shown on Mary's website but would like to know if there is a catalog with more choices. Mary's pictures have given me great joy over the years as I knew they would when I first saw them. I am glad to see you are still painting.Nadine
Memphis, TNNadine's request prompted the addition of a MORE link leading to an expanded viewing of all paintings currently in inventory for each specific style. You can see how this works by clicking on any of the images in the VISUAL DIRECTORY then scrolling down to the bottom of the page returned in order to click on the MORE link at the bottom.
Thanks for the prompting, Nadine.
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Dear Mary,
Thank you so much for my beautiful pumpkin. It makes me happy every day to see my pumpkin hanging there. Thank you and have a great holiday.Nancy
Wayne, NJ
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Hey Mary :-)
I keep your Curators Guide for Endico watercolors, that you and Bob gave me, by my desk, and I opened it up and looked at the beautiful artwork you do, and the incredible colors, and it immediately made me feel better. I know this sounds weird, and I wouldn't normally tell someone this, but since you are the artist, you should know that your artwork creates such an emotion in me that it almost moves me to tears from the beauty. I am sure it does the same for thousands of other people when they see such a creation.Your work has a life of its own, and words can't really do justice to the emotions elicited by diving into each individual piece.
Lauren
Kingston, NY
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Mary,
I just love the painting, and I thought maybe you would like to see how we had it framed. It's the perfect addition to the wall over our fireplace.
Thank you so much.
Zoe
Willmington, NC
Thank you Zoe.
I am always glad to see one of my paintings has found a good home.
-Mary
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Mary,
The picture is beautiful. Very, very nice!! Good job.
MG
Maywood, NJ
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Mary,
Got it on Friday, which was great cause it was my birthday. It came out just beautiful, looks great in the bathroom. Thank you very much for all your help with picking out the mats. They matched perfectly. You do beautiful work.
WB and RB
Marlton, NJ******************************
Hi Mary,
You have a great site here with plenty of information, and some really beautiful paintings. I purchased some paintings in the middle 1980's.
One of the paintings is a barn, with a horse in the half open door to the left and a horse in the stall in the open middle door. That painting has brought me much comfort through the years as it reminds me much of my childhood.
I also purchased a group of horse and donkey animal prints. I have received many, many positive comments about your paintings.
I just wanted to thank you for providing me with many years of enjoyment... and hopefully for many years to come.
Maybe soon I will be able to purchase another painting... or two. I am in the process of redoing a couple of rooms in my home and will be looking for additions to my small, but very much loved collection.
Thank-you, Mary... Thank-you very much!
Beth-Ellan, Roanoke Rapids, NC
Thank you Beth-Ellan,
If you have some photos of the paintings (they predate our imaging system), I would love to include them on the website database.
You can e-mail digital photos, or send standard photos via US mail, and I will scan them for you. Even a quick Polaroid snapshot would be perfect.
-Mary
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To view collections of Endico watercolors owned by people like
those writing above:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW SELECTED COLLECTIONS
