Mary Jo Rines
A look back,
in appreciation…
Date installed: January, 2024
Watercolors, oils, and mixed media
Click here for information on the availability of archival giclée prints of Mary Jo’s work.
“ I dream of painting, and then I paint my dream.”
Vincent Van Gogh
We are blessed to have the help of Mary Jo’s husband, Mel Rines, and the Rines family in pulling together the art and story of Mary Jo and her work. When asked what they would like most to say about Mary Jo and her magnificent contributions to art and art appreciation, here are their thoughts…
“Mary Jo painted the beauty and joy she saw around her. A partnership of paint, shapes, imagination and reality transformed paper into works with depth, emotion and beauty.”
Marcy Rines Venezia
An artist, teacher, artistic influencer (before Tiktok and Instagram) Mary Jo loved art from an early age. She illustrated a book with her father at around 8 years old. She continued to draw, sketch and paint through college, her spy years and as she raised her family with her husband Mel Rines. After college she worked for the NSA as a spy, we never did find out what she did there.”
The Rines Family
Welcome to this special exhibit at the Mary Jo Rines Gallery and virtual pages: It is a rare treat to see the work and influence of our gallery’s co-founder and namesake, Mary Jo Rines. Her inspiration transformed a hallway into a living gallery, delighting and inspiring parishioners and art lovers with each new exhibit.
As you will see in this ‘virtual’ gallery of her work, Mary Jo used color, shapes, layering, and perspective to make paper come alive—whether painting scenes of the beautiful Maine coastline and the sailboats she loved, or plying her craft whilst engaging the environs and the people living the boat life along Thailand’s Klong River.
Mary Jo was certainly well known for her skills, both as a painter and a teacher. She was the first woman president of the 100 year old New England Watercolor Society, served as Committee Chair of Boston’s prestigious Copley Society of Art, and actively supported our own Weston Arts & Crafts Society. On September 13, 2011, shortly after her passing, the Mary Jo Rines Gallery was named in her honor, and the Rines family has continued to support the gallery and our mission. We are so grateful.
Today we bring you a selection of work—some familiar, some rediscovered—as we share the talents and ongoing influence of Mary Jo Rines. We hope you enjoy the show.
Best wishes,
The First Parish Art Committee
‘Dreamboat’, one of Mary Jo’s watercolors available as an archival giclée print.
First Parish Art Committee Note: Mary Jo’s original works are not for sale, but the Rines family is making available a selection of archival giclée prints for purchase. You can click here for information on existing prints, or to inquire about having a custom print made. If you have other questions relating to the show or our gallery, please contact Larry Grob (617-817-3123 or lagrob@mac.com).
We hope you enjoy Mary Jo’s work. If you’d like, you can click below to send the family a comment or question…
Abstracts and Maine Coast…
click images to enlarge and see full proportions
“Mary Jo spent many happy years on Southport Island during the summers. The sail boats, shells and rocks were her inspiration. She loved the shapes and colors. When viewing her works notice the background design that leads the viewer's eye to the focal point in the foreground. This is particularly evident in ‘Rachel’s Gift’.”
Marcy Venezia Rines
On Safari…
click images to enlarge and see full proportions
“Mary Jo loved animals, and especially, the shapes and the ways that herds would congregate. In her sketchbooks you see her study of elephants. As an excuse to visit Africa again she organized a Safari painting trip in Kenya in 1986 and again in 1998, with a team of artists on safari expeditions to Kenya and Tanzania.”
Marcy Venezia Rines
Flowers and Still Lifes…
click images to enlarge and see full proportions
“Mary Jo studied with accomplished artists at the DeCordova Museum. You can see the variety of styles in this section. Each of the arrangements is precise, with very little bleeding from one area to another. Notice the shape of the focal point (where your eye is drawn).”
Marcy Venezia Rines
Klong River Boat People…
click images to enlarge and see full proportions
“On a trip to Thailand, Mary Jo was fascinated by the lifestyle of the Klong river boat dwellers. We rented a guide with his boat and spent the next 2 hours taking photos to capture the scenes and shapes of the Klong. Upon returning to our hotel, she realized she had not loaded the film properly and there were NO pictures. Horrified, we went back and hired another guide, and this time got the pictures she needed to create these paintings.”
Mel Rines
Southwest and Oils…
click images to enlarge and see full proportions
“Mary Jo’s process was to take photographs and sketch what she saw. In the sketches, she worked out shape and design before she composed a painting. She chose the medium and then lightly sketched a large background shape with a focal point, then she added more of the subject matter. She began with a wash and the background and then layered more detail, always allowing for inspiration and the element of chance to influence the work.”
Marcy Venezia Rines
