Mary Baumgartner is a nationally known artist and teacher. She owned her own commercial art studio in Knoxville, Tennessee and later moved to Washington, D.C. While in Washington, Mary was invited by a major department store in Alexandria, VA to have a one-woman show, and was asked to judge local art shows in the Northern Virginia area. After moving to California, Mary taught and painted in her North San Diego County studio, and annually produced and directed the Wonderful World of Watercolor, a show for herself and her students.
The Poway Center for the Performing Arts was host to the last three Wonderful World of Watercolor exhibits. Performing Arts audiences always enjoyed the lovely watercolors on display for a month and several thousand people were exposed to quality art.
Baumgartner was invited to teach at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Her classes there were well attended and she also taught workshops in Lake Tahoe. Baumgartner paints only with transparent watercolor, using no white or opaque paint. "I am still an artist of the old school," Baumgartner says. "My paintings are realistic with strong light and dark patterns." She studied art in Knoxville, TN at the University of Tennessee and Ted Burnett School of Art.
Baumgartner is a juried member of Watercolor West and has been a member of the Board of Directors and served as Publicity Chairman. She teaches watercolor at the Fountain City Art Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is also a member of National Watercolor Society, Tennessee Watercolor Society, and Fountain City Art Guild. Along with watercolor, Baumgartner has had a rewarding career in stained glass. Her creations grace many of the homes at Lake San Marcos, CA where she lived for 16 years. She designed the glass pieces with the same artistic flair she puts into her watercolors.
The Baumgartners moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2000. There Baumgartner became a lifetime member of the Fountain City Art Center established in 2004, was asked to become a member of the Board of Directors, works as Publicity Director, and was asked to have a one-woman show in September of 2003. She received a Covenant Health Platinum Award in 2006 for her work in helping establish a vision and dreams for the hugely successful and fully functioning Fountain City Art Center.
Classes she teaches in transparent watercolor remain full and have a waiting list of at least a year. These classes are titled Wonderful World of Watercolor.
