Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby McClure.
Hi Abby, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Absolutely! I was always an artistic person, interested in literature, drawing, poetry, photography, and music. After graduating from Quaker boarding school in 1988, I moved to Chadds Ford, PA, “Wyeth country”. With my shaved head, pierced nose, and combat boots, I was quickly noticed by a few of the more edgy local artists. One of these artists was painter Jimmy Lynch, a renowned model for and close friend of Andrew and Jamie Wyeth.
My friendship with Lynch is what inspired me to pursue art as a career. Lynch taught me the simple yet invaluable wisdom of how to paint a painting, put it in a frame, and sell it. Plein air painting in the surrounding fields led to visits and artistic guidance at Andrew Wyeth’s studio and home. I was a sponge, soaking up the guidance and advice of these fascinating artists. My first public display of work was one year later, at age nineteen, when the Brandywine River Museum exhibited a series of pen-and-ink drawings I collaborated on with Lynch. This experience jump-started my career in fine art.
I started in drawing and watercolor, but soon switched to oil painting as my main medium. I have shown and sold my work extensively, created and facilitated therapeutic art groups, and most recently, published a book for artists to help increase sales titled “From Inspiration to Income: A Comprehensive Guide to Selling Art,” available at all major online book retailers.
A critical piece of why I have gotten to where I am today is twofold: a relentless pursuit of excellence, coupled with an almost uncanny drive to get back up after being knocked down. If someone says I can’t do something, it becomes a thrilling challenge for me to do it even bigger and better.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not smooth whatsoever—I have had loads of obstacles and challenges. I would say one of the most wrenching ones was losing much of the sight in my right eye at age 43. Not an easy situation for a painter, let alone any person. I endured several major surgeries to try to save my sight, each with long and uncomfortable recoveries.
Then, there were countless trips to the eye hospital emergency room over the years as I struggled with troubling new symptoms. Additionally, with each surgery, there was a new visual outcome, requiring my brain to retrain and adapt to new visual circumstances. Falls, dizziness, double vision, and dropping things have become the new normal. I am also left with no depth perception or peripheral vision and limited, blurred central vision in one eye. I mourned the loss of sight for years, was terribly depressed, and stopped painting for a while.
Then one day, I went with a friend to a golf driving range. Having been very athletic my entire life, I was frustrated when I had trouble hitting the ball. With determination and persistence, I finally struck it properly and drove the ball far and well. I felt the confidence I had not felt in several years. I realized golf could play an important role in my recovery, and I started taking lessons and playing.
Another key activity in my recovery has been plein air painting. My boyfriend at the time (now my husband) gifted me with a new plein air easel and all the gear. Being outdoors studying the ever-changing light helped both retrain my brain and nourish my soul. Ironically, I learned to “see” better than before, and my paintings improved remarkably in terms of color and value. My work is in demand, and I command higher prices than ever before.
I no longer mourn my eyesight; I am grateful for it and the life experience it has brought. I truly believe there are lessons and gifts in challenges, and therefore, to use them as opportunities to grow and evolve as best we can.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am known for my twilight and nocturne oil landscapes and, more recently, for my energetic plein air work. I have mentored and coached other artists to improve their work and sales. And now, I’m a published author, too.
I am most proud of overcoming the obstacles in my path, as I mentioned, of which there were many. I could have given up and not followed my professional calling: making art. It’s the best thing I have to offer and what comes naturally to me.
A few things that may set me apart are that when I get an idea for a good project, I follow through. I realize and complete my visions. I make things happen. I like connecting people with people. I am analytical, enjoying the process of figuring out systems that work and applying them. I’m naturally entrepreneurial. I am positive in the professional world. I enjoy talking to and collaborating with other artists and creatives, and am not competitive. I am very organized in my art business.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
That is a great question. Professionally, I would say it is to strive for excellence, whatever you choose to do. It does not matter what your job is; take it upon yourself to learn everything about it and do it as well as you can. Yet never stagnate; stay focused on the next higher rung of the ladder.
Personally, I would say you can start living differently today. Make a list: decide what traits and attributes you wish to embody, what goals you would like to achieve, and what areas of your life you need to improve, and make a conscious and consistent effort to evolve. Get up when you fall. Don’t complain. Be kind. Have morals. The ancient Stoics were masters of this form of self-improvement, and I find great wisdom in their writings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.abbymcclure.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbymcclurestudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbyart
- Other: https://www.bluegardenbooks.com
