"My paintings are a response to the wild places on the earth. . . Wilderness is where I feel most alive, most connected to the energy of the earth. There are places in the world where that energy is palpable, where we can almost touch the life force surrounding us; places like a blustery beach, ancient redwood forests, and snow-covered mountaintops.

Vibrations of the wild places, ancient things, and the people who enjoy them are what I try to capture in my work. Because I live at the beach, I find the sand, sky and surf compelling subjects, as well as the shells and starfish that wash up on shore. I am especially drawn by the little people who take great pleasure digging in the sand, and the people who quietly explore the tide's daily treasures."

"I find earth's magic just outside my window. There are salt marshes, wild palms, and bright sunsets over the water. I look for the purity and delight in children at play, the transluscent ghostly reflections of boats in the harbor, and the elusive background colors of the sunshine, seashells, and marshes of my St. Augustine, Florida home.

My travels, as well, have shaped and inspired me, from exploring paleolithic caverns in France and sipping espresso in outdoor Old World cafes to climbing rocky cliffs of secluded coastlines and dining on top of the peak in Hong Kong."

As a child and young adult, I was greatly influenced by my mother, Idella Hallowell, a student of watercolorists Howard Watson, John Pike, and Ed Whitney. Growing up in the Philadelphia art scene, her artist friends surrounded and encouraged me. I had a fondness for mother's entourage of astonishing friends; they were outrageous. I was fascinated by their total inability to be structured, their aptitude for the dramatic, and their uncanny ways of shifting the mundane into magic. I was always close to nature; as a child, I spent my summers playing in the sand, sun, and waves at the Jersey shore, and the rest of the year I lived in the woods, wheat fields, and cedar lakes at the end of my street.

I majored in fine art and writing at Thomas Edison State College where I received a B.A. in Humanities. I started out doing freelance illustration for advertising agencies, but hunger lured me to the corporate world. I worked for RCA Corp. as an illustrator and graphic artist (1979-1987). At RCA, emerging computer engineering disciplines excercised my muse, and I found myself developing courses in robotics and computer software.

Then tempted by professional publishing, I left to work for McGraw-Hill and Gartner Group as a publication editor, writer and industry analyst (1987-2006), and traveled around the world to do speaking engagements and work with executives in Fortune 500 companies. I've done many freelance book illustrations, and do web design, illustrate children's books, and have sold illustrations for greeting cards, party and gift supplies, scrapbook album covers, logos, and brochures.

Surrounded by the beach, sawgrass, and palms, my husband and I go on weekend kayaking treks through the salt marshes, walk for hours on the white sandy beaches, and partake of the vibrancy of the emerging art culture in St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the U.S.

In 2009, my work was featured in a new book, Best of America Oil Artists (Kennedy Publishing). In 2007 and 2009, paintings were used as backgrounds in the ABC-TV show, "Wife Swap."

Exhibits, Shows & Awards:

2010 News:
Mary is featured in "Best of America Oil Artists, Volume II" (Kennedy Publishing). www.bestofartists.com.

• Limelight Theatre Exhibit (December 2009-January 2010)
• 1st Annual Nancy Schultz and Friends Exhibit at the Schultz Center for Teaching & Leadership, Jacksonville, FL (November-December 2009)
• Pen Women Weekend Exhibit, St. Augustine (November 2009)
• Blue Water Jewelers Exhibit (September-October 2009)
• 6th Annual Beaches Gallery Tour, featuring Mary's painting demonstration throughout the day (September 2009)
• Jacksonville Symphony Guild 2009 Designer Showcase, featuring Mary's work in several of the luxuriously decorated rooms by approximately 20 designers who are assigned their own room. (May-June 2009)
• Artistry at Belks, "In the Pink" Belks at The Avenues mall (June 2009)
• Fairfax Gallery Sawgrass Village, in conjunction with the 16th Annual Ponte Vedra Art Festival, featuring Mary's painting demonstration throughout the day (May 2009)
• Florida Seen, The Art League of Daytona Beach, a five-artist invitational show, showcasing 25 of each artists' paintings (April 2009)
• St. Augustine NLAPW Show, 130 King Street Gallery, St. Augustine, FL (April-May 2009)
• Women of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, Art Advocate Gallery, St. Augustine, FL (March 2009)
• Local Florida Wilderness, Cousart Gallery (2008-2009)
• Wild Places, Featured Artist, 130 King Street Gallery (2008)
• Pen Women Exhibit, Art Advocate Gallery, St. Augustine, FL (2008)
• People; Travels Here and There juried shows; members show, St. Augustine Art Association (2008)
• Art Advocate Gallery, St. Augustine, FL. "Peace Be With You" members show (2008)
• Holborn Gallery, St. Augustine, FL (2007-2008)
• Mystic Gifts, St. Augustine Beach, FL (Mar 2007-Jan 2008)
• POW! award, first place 2-D art (2007)
• Black and White juried show; Members Show, St. Augustine Art Association (2007)
• Figuratively Speaking, Art League of Daytona Beach (2007)
• POW! award for illustrated book, Kids Collect, second place (2005)
• Florida Writers Association Royal Palm award for Kids Collect, first place (2004)
• Haddonfield Art League, Haddonfield, NJ. Juried watercolor show, first place (1987)
• Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ. Watercolor show (1987)

"Before I ever lay down a brushtroke, I consider what the subject is saying to me. What does it vibrate? Softness? Excitement? What does the air smell like -- lavender meadows or salty breezes? Is it a hot day? Are there deep, cooling shadows? What do I hear -- seagulls or car horns? The answers to these kinds of questions direct the soul of my painting."

Publications & TV:

• Best of America Oil Artists (Kennedy Publishing, 2009), Featured Artist in book. www.bestofartists.com
• ABC-TV's "Wife Swap". set background (2 shows, 2007 and 2009)

Selected Books / Book Covers Illustrated by Mary Hubley:

• Jump Start Your Writing (M. Hubley, 2005)
• The Tale of Sonny Barlow (B. Sheehan, 2005)
• A New Start (G. Laws, 2005)
• Anna's Long Journey to Freedom (G. Laws, 2005)
• Living the Dream (G. Laws, 2005)
• In the Shadow of the Lone Cypress (S. Settle, 2004)
• Disciplined Attention (K. Mills, 2004)
• Lies Preachers Tell (E. Paul, 2004)
• Phonics Plain and Simple (M. Garig, 2003)
• Always and in All Ways (J. Hagan, 2002)
• Kids Collect (M. Hubley, 2002)
• Brad and Emily's Treasure Adventure (M. Hubley, 2001)

Speaking Engagements and Workshops:

• April 2008 -- "Unleash Your Wild Creativity: Leaping Head-First to Free Your Creative Genius," Jacksonville, FL. Journey to Empowerment conference
  
• April 2008 -- "Feeding and Watering Your Muse," St. Augustine, FL. Pen Women meeting
  
• April 2008 -- "Wild Creativity," St. Augustine, FL. Pen Women Writers' Weekend at the Art Advocate Gallery
  
• March 2008 -- "Jump Start Your Writing," Jacksonville, FL. Writers--Nuts & Bolts conference
  
• 2000 -- 2007 School visits and workshops for children: Experiments in Drawing and writing
  

Education:

• Thomas Edison State College, majoring in fine art, writing, and journalism. B.A. Humanities, 1996.
• Served 2 years on Edison's portfolio advisory board, 1994-96.

Affiliations:

• Landscape Artists International, member
• National League of American Pen Women, active member and past branch president
• Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, past group leader
• St. Augustine Art Association, member