Note Type
Antony Hayton, Exhibit DirectorNote
Mary Ann Carroll (1940-2019)
Rainbow River Pairing
Oil On Upson Board Pair Circa Early 1960s
Each Image 12" X 24"
Mary Ann Carroll is not only the sole (soul) female artist of the group, but she is also the most traveled member of the group. Dubbed "Queen of The Road", she was a definition of the term "force of nature", raising her family while creating art and crisscrossing Florida selling it. Considering all the members are named "Highwaymen", their very name means they traveled extensively. However, Mary Ann Carroll went much further afield than the other artists; she went to Washington DC three times, once to meet Mrs. Obama and present her with a painting. She went to Canada twice as a representative of the Highwaymen group. She has also lectured at three universities, including Howard University, a historically black college in Washington D.C., and two universities in Canada. She was a natural as a lecturer, having earned her wings as pastor at her church! This lady obviously wasn't busy enough looking after seven children on her own, creating landscapes, and being an accomplished gospel singer.
With her expansive color palette, Mary Ann Carroll ventured where other artists in the group could not. Her most vivid and expressive paintings were in the '60s and '70s, almost exclusively on Upson Board. Later, she shifted to canvas and masonite and spent more time creating her works, which became more detailed. This pair of rainbow river paintings were created during her magic era, but they remained separated for decades until this exhibit brought them back together by chance last year. She would cut Upson board, which came in 4' x 8' sheets, down to size, creating multiple canvases measuring 24" x 36" as well as several smaller ones. The frames are typical of those she handmade using carpenter's finish molding.