As a child Molly Hyde always found sense of security and competence in the art classroom all the way into high school until she was exposed to the world of biological sciences. She received her BA in Biology from Wheaton College in Massachusetts which led to jobs in various research labs. In 1991 while painting the stage set for an elementary school musical in Putney, Vermont, Hyde remembered the joy of painting and soon after she was in a studio taking lessons. In 2001 Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik moved into southern Vermont and Hyde became part of a group of 11 called “The Putney Painters” who met several times a month in a local barn to paint with Richard and Nancy. Here is where Hyde learned about value and edges, temperature and colors as she worked on still lifes and was introduced to portrait work. She had the honor of painting with these masters for nearly 5 years, a time she considers her classical training. The move to New Mexico in 2005 challenged Hyde’s palette and landscape experience and she freely admits it took over a year to adjust to the colors and lighting of the Southwest. In an effort to strengthen her landscapes she has been studying still life with Kevin Gorges in Santa Fe and continues to work on plein air painting with Anita Louise West also of Santa Fe. |
"Water Lilies at Shady Lakes" |
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Hyde lives with her long-time best friend and husband of nearly 40 years in Eldorado and has 2 grown children and 2 grandchildren. |
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"Color Study: Red Peppers" |
"Storm Approaching the Wetland" |
"Color Study: Yellow Apples" |
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"This Old Tree" |
©Molly Hyde-All rights reserved |
"The Milk Jug" |
Hyde says |
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"I am a rather impatient person so I paint in a rush. This is a good quality for plein air painter as the sun and shadows shift from minute to minute, but not so good if you’re truly studying a subject. I am absolutely thrilled by the natural beauty of our world. I loved the subtle colors of the Connecticut River Valley in Vermont, especially in November and February. And now I am smitten by the cool grey greens and warm mesa walls of the Southwest. But getting them down on canvas the way I feel about them has been a challenge. To strengthen my landscape work I have been studying still life. In this slow painting one has to learn to see the various colors across the rounded surface of an apple, to identify the indefinable color of a shadow and the mystical bounce of light off a surface. This world of slow painting and meditative investigation has opened up a world of beautiful small things at close range." | ||
