Mae Stoll

Originally from the island of Malta, Mae Stoll spent most of her adult life in Houston and then Austin, Texas. She moved to the Staunton area in mid-2019, and inspired by the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley, she quite suddenly started painting late the following year. Formal art instruction consisted only of a couple of college elective classes; so after more than three decades of artistic dormancy, this “art awakening” has been truly life-changing. Mae is predominantly drawn to semi-impressionistic and realistic renditions of landscapes in acrylics and pastels, but is often lured by other subject matter and loves to experiment with different painting styles.

I’ve been on this art adventure only a few short years and it’s been an exciting one so far.  It’s been like setting out on a long highway and getting off to explore many roads and byways and the journey has certainly changed how I look at the world.  It may be a while before I settle into a definite style since I’m having too much fun at this stage, and although I’m predominantly drawn to landscapes, I am often lured by other subjects.  I am drawn almost equally to realistic representation and to attempting to capture only the mood or the feeling evoked by a scene, sometimes turning to one mode instinctively after spending a significant amount of time in the other.  Whether I’m moving acrylic paints around with a brush or being seduced by the powdery subtlety of soft pastels, it’s essentially color, with its myriad of possibilities, that continues to excite my soul.  I love being represented by this wonderful gallery in Nelson County, where my paintings are surrounded by so much other quality work by skilled artists and artisans.

Mae’s other passions include jewelry-making, gardening, and teaching West African-style hand percussion during weekly classes in a beautiful drum-filled studio, just a few miles south of Staunton, VA.