Mary has painted ‘en plein aire’ for over 15 years, setting up her easel in the open air in order to respond directly to nature. “The experience of creating art in nature is absolutely exhilarating,” she says. “It’s a challenge to keep up with the shadow and bugs and weather, while capturing extraordinary beauty. Combining it all into a two-dimensional depiction, using every sense including the element of time, is an incomparable experience.” Through the manipulation of paint, either oils or casein, Mary seeks to express her fascination with the way light plays on form, with how distance affects colors, and with the way we all share a common connection to our woods and to our waters.

Mary’s work is representational and impressionist, and it invites contemplation. She finds inspiration in what some might consider everyday scenes, in parks, arboretums, and areas outside of the cities but her landscapes evoke a powerful sense of wonder. “There’s nearly nothing man-made depicted in the paintings in order to create a sense of being alone in nature,” she says. “The people in my paintings are the viewers looking at the artwork.” Viewers find in her work an invitation to reflect and feel refreshed by her vision.