“There are no rules. Let the picture lead you where it must go”. Helen Frankenthaler
Bio/resume
Mary graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art from Purchase College, outside of NY City in 1989. Studying all aspects of art, with a concentration in Printmaking and Art History (had the privilege of taking numerous classes with world renowned, art historian and critic, Irving Sandler). Mary studied with such artists as Leonard Stokes (student of Josef Albers), Murray Zimiles, Margot Lovejoy, and had a two year apprenticeship with Bruce Bleach (a internationally known printmaker and painter). "When I was an art student, I quickly fell in love with all aspects of printmaking (intaglio, etching, monotype, silkscreen, lithography, woodcut, offset and paper making). I was instantly fascinated with the process of creating prints, appreciating the step by step process in order to achieve the final result. I also worked for two years, during my time as a student, in the school print shop, assisting fellow students and maintaining the print shop.
During my last two years at school, and for several years after, I worked printing limited edition, hand printed, intaglio prints for Bruce Bleach in his New Rochelle studio, and several other accomplished artists in upstate NY, after graduation. I spent several years working for an art supply company, before starting a family. While raising my family, I explored different art mediums. I found success in hand painted furniture and glass, and continued working with printmaking. Creating monotypes led to painting, and over the last five years, I've concentrated on painting, primarily with acrylics".
Mary's artworks have been displayed at various galleries and shops in New York and North Carolina, including the Everson Museum in Syracuse, NY. In 2016, Mary opened Phthalo Blue Art Gallery in Ocean Isle Beach, NC, before relocating to Charlotte in 2019, to be close to her eldest daughter. (Her other daughter lives in Beaufort, SC). Two of Mary's largest projects, were creating paintings for the 2017 Southern Living Idea Home, on Bald Head Island, where the owner/builder commissioned twenty-four permanent artworks for the home, and The Southern Living Inspired 2019 Home, also on Bald Head Island, where fifteen permanent artworks were created specifically for the home.