Maryann Matlock-Hinkle

MATLOCK-HINKLE

MARYANN, Philadelphia artist, an abstract impressionist whose works were influenced in her later years by pilgrimages to India and Tibet - where she once had a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama - died Wednesday, Feb. 27, of complications from esophageal cancer. She was 66.
In a solo exhibit at the Villanova University Art Gallery in 2001, Maryann showed oil paintings inspired by a 21-day circumambulation of Mt. Kailash in Tibet, a trek that coincided with her 60th birthday. At an elevation of 19,000 feet, she was caught in a blizzard, saying later, that the experience was a striking reminder of life's impermanence.
Maryann won the prestigious Cresson Traveling Scholarship as a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Along with painting scholarships from the Pew Charitable Trust and the Barnes Foundation, she was also a recipient of the Pennsylvania Governor's Award.
She was a popular instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Woodmere Art Museum and the Wayne Art Center. Students found her to be a wonderful mentor and continued taking her classes over and over again.
Born in Pottsville on Sept. 15, 1941, Mary Ann Stranko was one of three children whose father was a math teacher. Her parents were of Russian and Lithuanian descent and Maryann kept her mother's Lithuanian traditions alive, especially on Christmas Eve, preparing 12 dishes in advance over several days for a special meal that night.
Her first marriage was to an Air Force officer. The couple had four children and traveled around the world, living a year or two or three in locales from Texas to England to Okinawa. On one stop, Japan, she was introduced to the beauty of Asian art including ink painting on long scrolls that captured images of light as it changed through the day.
After a divorce she moved to Philadelphia, earning her Certificate in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and an MFA in painting from Penn, adding to an earlier master's degree in education from Michigan State University.
It was at a Christmas party that she met her future husband, photographer and businessman James Hinkle. The two married in 1987.
A long-distance runner, Maryann sometimes pulled on boots and a parka to get in her daily run. She finished the London Marathon and later the Paris Half-Marathon with her daughter Michelle.
Maryann was first attracted to Tibetan Buddhism in 1992 by the visual appeal of its mandalas and the bright colors of its artwork. She began her meditation practice with the Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia and took several journeys to the Far East, including a trip to Tibet with her daughter Samantha.
It was her connection to the Buddhist Center that led her to a meeting with the Dalai Lama at his home in India. It was a short visit, made together with a few other pilgrims. Maryann enjoyed telling the story of her visit with His Holiness, remarking on the glow of his goodness.
Later on, her art reflected her connection to Buddhism. She wove gold leaf into paintings that she described as "precious offerings."
For years Maryann maintained a workspace on Spring Garden Street, and then moved her studio to her Chestnut Hill home overlooking Fairmount Park. Her regular running trail was Forbidden Drive. A favorite hike with her grandchildren was to the Indian statue in the woods.
The most important thing Maryann learned in this life was to live in the moment, neither forgetting the past nor fearing the future.
In the first two hours after her death, her husband and daughters sat quietly with her reading selected passages from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, as the teachings instruct. Not long after her passing, Maryann's expression transformed into a blissful smile, her final gift to her family.
Maryann was predeceased by her father, Michael Joseph Stranko, Sr; her sister, Judith Stranko Winter; and her grandson, J.D. Matlock.
She is survived by her husband, James M. Hinkle, Jr. of Philadelphia; her children, Michelle Matlock-O'Brien of Boston; Catherine Matlock-Shally of London, England; Samantha Matlock and David Matlock of Philadelphia; her mother, Blanche Buzis Stranko of Centre Point, Oregon; brother and sister-in-law, Michael Jr. and Michelle Stranko of Reading; stepdaughters, Tara Zacarillo of Westville, New Jersey; Kim Fleming of Philadelphia; and Arlene Lepre of Sewell, New Jersey; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A public memorial service will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 6, at Material Culture, 4700 Wissahickon Ave., East Falls, Philadelphia. (215-849-8030).
Family members suggest any memorial contributions be made to the Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia, c/o Treasurer, 14 Derwen Rd., Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.