Maureen Church

Maureen Church is a plein air oil/mixed media painter whose vibrant, contemporary-styled work captures the fleeting beauty and ever-shifting light of Western New York's landscapes. A Rochester native, Maureen's deep connection to the Finger Lakes region infuses her art with an intimate understanding of its unique character.

"While painting in the local vineyards, I see that the water of each finger lake seems to possess its own version of the color blue," Maureen observes, reflecting her fascination with the subtle nuances of the region's natural beauty.

Her artistic journey began with training at Alfred University and Nazareth College, followed by a fulfilling career as an art educator. Since retiring in 2017, she has devoted herself to painting full-time from her studio at 34 Elton Street in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts.

Maureen's artistic process is a captivating passage from inspiration to creation. It begins with spontaneous sketchbook studies en plein air, capturing the raw energy and quickly changing moments of the light in the landscape. These intimate sketches evolve into vibrant, contemporary oil paintings on panels created on location, further exploring the nuances of color, composition, value and texture.

"These paintings, created on location, reflect a deeper engagement with the environment," Maureen says. "I strive to capture the nuances that can only be experienced in the great outdoors."

The culmination of this process is revealed in her studio works, where the sketches and plein air paintings serve as the foundation for larger, more immersive mixed media compositions in oils or encaustic. Here, Maureen expands upon her initial impressions, infusing the works with a sense of depth and emotion, creating a visual dialogue between the energy in nature and her introspective lens.

Maureen is an active member of the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters, and her work has been juried into galleries and sold locally, nationally, and internationally.