Born in Washington DC, Mary Fanning was able to fulfill her dream of being both an artist and a physician.  "At the age of 12, I wanted to paint watercolor and, inspired by the writing of an army medic in Vietnam, Dr. Tom Dooley, I also wanted to be a doctor. Either seemed like an impossible dream. I never thought I would do both." 

Mary's artistic training was slowly acquired through courses, a summer at the Accademia di Belli Arti in Perugia, Italy, and two years of coursework at the Ontario College of Art. Currently she is part of the Yellow Barn community and teaches watercolor there. 

Through living in other countries and cultures and caring for those who are very ill, she has learned to see the world through different eyes. Her painting is bold, simple and dramatic, embracing hope and optimism in the face of the hardship and suffering she has seen and experienced through others. Her work in representational and reflects her interest in simplicity, clear and bold colors, and translucent lights. She studies scenes for a long time until she feels connected to the images and can feel their emotional quality before she actually paints them. Her work represents scenes from Mallorca, Barcelona, the Bahamas, and South Africa where she lived most recently. 

Mary is currently teaching Watercolor at the Yellow Barn Studio, Glen Echo, in Bethesda, MD. 

Our Story

Mary Fanning is a watercolorist whose passion for the medium began with an overwhelming desire to learn to paint with watercolor mixed with the fear that it would be too hard. "Each painting is hard because watercolor has its own designs at times. You just have to ignore the perfectionist inside and paint what you see or what you think you see. What a gift to be able to get lost in the moment and just paint. "

Tilghman Island on a hot summer day. Lively contemplation.