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Mary Ann Carroll Paintings

Mary Ann Carroll Painting

Mary Ann Carroll is the sole woman in the group of artists known as the "Florida Highwaymen". Born in 1940 into a family of sharecroppers, her family moved to Fort Pierce, Florida when she was 8. There, Mary Ann had an opportunity to watch Harold Newton paint. Inspired by Harold's work, she joined the ragtag bunch of artists early on, bringing a gifted way of looking at colour to the group. First Mary Ann Carroll Paintings were sold when she was of the age of 18, and when she often travelled alone throughout the state to sell her work carrying a small gun to protect herself. Fearless, she even sold paintings in Okeechobee where "the guys" refused to go because of a greater sense of racial tension. Motivated by the necessity of supporting seven children after her husband abandoned their family when the youngest was 5, she painted in part to supplement her income from housecleaning.

Many of Mary Ann Carroll paintings are painted in usual manner for Highwaymen artists – on upson board, with crown moulding as a frame. She is one of the few Highwaymen that learned to mix colours to enhance details early on. She still uses a kitchen spoon to mix oils – a Highwaymen trademark. Many of her paintings are sized 24 x 36, because she painted about 2 that size each day. She also sold smaller works including 18 x 24 and 12 x 24 sizes. Now in her 60's she still paints, often to fill commission requests.

Mary Ann Carroll paintings are filled with crisp details, vibrant colours and the sense of the peace and harmony she feels while creating each one. Even shadowed areas in her paintings are crafted by darkening other colours in the work, and seem to teem with life. Her Florida landscapes exemplify the wild energy of undeveloped Florida, and create a sense of timelessness in each pictorial history that viewers want to escape to, again and again. Despite of the fact that she painted a great number of works during her career, her paintings are not very often offered for sale. You can see below if any of the Mary Ann Carroll paintings are currently listed for sale.

Paintings For Sale