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"  As he travels his native Ohio and other U.S. locales, Gary Stretar makes &amp;quot;mental notes that I use later when painting in my studio.&amp;quot; Unlike most landscape artists, he does not photograph the subjects, but rather paints what he remembers, then edits out unseemly elements that were part of the actual scene. Mary Stretar often wanders the gardens she&amp;#039;s planted on their rural Ohio property for her material, as well as the colors and patterns that figure into her watercolors.   &amp;quot;My garden is my inspiration for much of what I paint,&amp;quot; says Mary. &amp;quot;I like the hummingbirds that gather there, but I also look for plants that have berries or seeds to attract other birds. My paintings, too, are based on the designs, colors, and motifs found in the English Arts and Crafts.&amp;quot;   &amp;quot;My landscapes, both those in oil and watercolor, are inspired by my surroundings in rural Ohio as well as my travels in the Midwest and New England,&amp;quot; says Gary.  Gary&amp;#039;s depiction (12&amp;quot; x 14&amp;quot;; $800) of an Ohio meadow is noted for its planes of color. &amp;quot;Gary is not good at a picnic,&amp;quot; says Mary. &amp;quot;He spends all of his time looking at the sky and clouds.&amp;quot;   Gary paints his watercolors (which range from 3&amp;quot; x 4&amp;quot; to 4&amp;quot; x 5&amp;quot;) on acid-free cotton rag board because he likes the control the denser paper gives him. (Mary, however, paints on smooth watercolor paper, in part because her works are so small.) Gary&amp;#039;s works feature a degree of detail usually found only in oil paintings on canvas. &amp;quot;In both my watercolors and oil paintings, I first wash my sky and background in a thin wash,&amp;quot; he says, &amp;quot;then sketch my composition in a semi-opaque color arrangement. Finally, I finish my paintings in dry brush or heavy pigment.&amp;quot;   &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re lucky in that we look out our studio window and see things to paint,&amp;quot; says Mary, who here depicts birds alit on thistle (4&amp;quot; x 4&amp;quot;; $105). To order works: (330) 648-9439.   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/how-to/a34/gary-mary-stretar-0507/>