About
Mary began working as an artist in her 20s. In college, she sold her batik wall hangings, and later, after an apprenticeship in California with a textile designer, she began printing with potatoes. Why potatoes? They are excellent conduits for paint, transferring the pigment with crisp efficiency(!)
Her first business, Spudprints, was a hand-painted clothing company that featured brilliant color combinations using actual potatoes for prints. Her sleep shirts and beach cover-ups were sold along the East Coast for several years. She enjoyed seeing customers experience so much fun choosing just the right, zany shirt for themselves or a friend.
In her 40s, she began painting on wooden blocks, which soon evolved into rustic peace banners using positive affirmations. Mary photographed these wall hangings and turned many of the images into greeting cards.
Her work has been shown in hospitals, doctors’ offices, galleries, and coffeehouses. She has taught workshops for elementary school kids, trauma victims, women’s retreats, senior centers, and bereavement groups. Students have created healing banners centered on words such as love, trust, and breathe.
In the early 2000s, Mary painted murals in homes and businesses using a color wash technique with sponges and a variety of colors.
She organized community workshops and created 2' x 3' banners that hung from telephone poles during the warmer months—inspiring neighbors, friends, and communities to collaborate through art.
Mary currently paints and explores mixed media in her rural studio in the wooded hills. Writing and creating online classes are a passion.
Mary studied art at several schools in the 80’s and graduated in 2015 from Northern Vermont University with a BA in Studio Art.
Living near Mt. Mansfield in Vermont with her husband, Rick, she finds inspiration in the quiet natural surroundings, nurturing her artist soul.