Niwot artist claims Kennedy Center prize

"Take Us To The Stars," an original oil painting by Niwot artist Mary McClure, was named co-winner of the JFK Portrait Contest, a creative art competition inviting artists aged 14-26 to celebrate the legacy of John F. Kennedy using one of his core ideals of service, justice, freedom, courage, and gratitude as inspiration.

"I've always associated him with the courage to go to space," McClure, 26, said of the contest's namesake. "I think space travel is incredible, and he was the first one to do it."

The competition was sponsored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. in commemoration of its 50th anniversary. McClure received a $500 prize, and her portrait will be displayed at the Center's REACH gallery until June 2022, along with co-winner Jinglin Jingan ("Spotlight"), and eight runners-up.

The win is all the sweeter, because it's an opportunity McClure almost missed.

"The contest was set for June through July, and I didn't see the call for entries until the middle of July," McClure said. "I thought I was going to be too far behind."

But the idea of painting the aspirational president had called to her, so, like her portrait's subject, the budding oil painter decided to set a very ambitious goal that would test her stamina and talents

"I knew when I saw it that I wanted to do it because I'm interested in portraits," she said. "And then when I knew it was JFK, I decided it would be space themed... I've always wanted to do a painting of the moon, and I hadn't found a chance yet, so I thought, this might be my shot."

One "intense" week later, "Take Us To The Stars" was in the final stages and within days would be in front of judges in D.C.

"I think it's the fastest I've ever painted," she said. "It was six to eight hours a day for about a week, and then enough time for it to dry and then varnish."

Though rushed, McClure said the process of painting "Take Us To the Stars" went much more smoothly than it should have.

"The whole way along, I was really pleased with it," McClure said. "Sometimes I start a painting, and it's not going well, and I keep having to adjust things. But this one was practically miraculous. It felt like serendipity. A lot of the normal struggles that I encounter didn't happen, and it was as streamlined a process as it could be, and it felt sort of wondrous."

Winning the contest has prompted McClure to focus more on her emerging art career. She graduated from New York's School of Visual Arts in 2020, four years after earning a bachelor's degree in art history from St. Andrews University in Scotland. In the wake of the pandemic, she and her husband Brian relocated to Niwot, where she has been perfecting her technique.

The artist is relatively new to oil painting, after spending much of her art life focused on drawing. She decided to make the transition after one of her early attempts at the new form opened up a world of possibilities.

"I've always thought painting was the next level above drawing, and I always wanted to be able to do it," she said. "At first I did copies of older paintings that I knew, and I was so proud of the first one that turned out okay. I kept searching for that feeling again. I wanted to make something that feels real."

McClure, who grew up in Golden, has been finding plenty of inspiration back home in Colorado, whether it's in big dramatic landscapes or smaller, intimate portraits.

"There are little moments that surprise you," she said. "I'm doing a painting now that's a little cotton bud, and there's color variation on the white of the cotton, and contrast with the sharp points, there's texture changes, and there's color changes. It's such a small thing, but it can be so beautiful."

McClure will be showing her work at Winot Coffee (7960 Niwot Rd D13, Niwot) during the month of November. For more information and to see samples of McClure's other artwork, visit her website at http://www.marymcclureart.com.