About

Me, and one of my inspirations, my cat Tiger.

Art, is my happy place.  The inspiration for the next piece, the creativity of the art making process, and the sharing my work with others, all bring me immense joy.  I hope that that sense of joy, is conveyed to you in my work.  My hope is to bring more beauty, to whomever my work touches.

I have been artistically inclined all my life.  I have dabbled in many different mediums, but when I discovered watercolors,  I fell in love.  For twenty years, my main medium was watercolors.  Then I added exploring acrylic painting.  I love to paint!  I love the feel of a brush in my hand, exploring the feel of the paint on paper or canvas, and playing with color.

For the past six years, I have been drawn to printing, linocut printing in particular.  The process begins with a drawing.  Once you have your drawing perfected, you transfer that to a block of linoleum or soft rubber, and then you carve into the block with various size gouges, creating your design.  Printing ink is then rolled onto the raised surfaces of the block, paper is laid on top, and then pressure is put on the back of the paper by hand or in a press, and when the paper is lifted, you have your print.  It's fascinating.  Each print comes out slightly different due to the handmade nature of the artwork.

What inspires me the most is my love of animals, my cats in particular.  The cat prints all begin with a photo of one of my cats.  I have two cats now, Hobbs and Oreo, though I am still inspired by many of the photos I took of Tiger before he passed in 2020.  They bring the greatest joy into my life everyday.  My other inspiration would be nature and flowers.

I have worked as a gallery manager, framer, and graphic designer. But by far, what brings me the most joy and satisfaction is creating beautiful artworks, that inspire and bring joy to others lives. 

And I love to share my work.  I have displayed and sold my watercolors and prints both locally and nationally for many, many years now.

These are some of my past gallery affiliations:
-Gallery Dog, Eureka, CA
-Art Source L.A. Inc., Rockville, MD
-The Art Collector, San Diego, CA
-The Art Resource Inc., Silver Spring, MD
-Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
-Administrative Arts, Inc., Orlando, FL
-EDL & Associates, Atlanta, GA

Currently, I am a self-representing artist.  My artwork is in private and corporate collections internationally.

Thank you for your interest in my work.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me here or at MaryAnn@MaryAnnTestagrossa.com.

You can find me online here:
www.MaryAnnTestagrossaArt.com - my Website
www.Facebook.com/MaryAnnTestagrossaArt
www.Instagram.com/MaryAnnTestagrossaArt

But there is another reason why I am writing this blog.  Besides writing and sharing my own work, I want this blog to be a helpful guide for others who are or may want to be creative.  I want to share tips, information and insights that I have found, and continue to find, along the way that may help and inspire you when you get stuck or discouraged.  

Thank you for taking the time to read about my blog!