"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 grand European cathedrals, 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. Painting is much more than capturing perfectly what something looks like. Rather, my art involves the emotional response to it -- stretching beyond the mere technical and revealing a subject's energy; its indefinable spirit."

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"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). I became known as an expert in operating system technology, and was invited around the world to do speaking engagements and work with executives in Fortune 500 companies. During my last few years in the corporate scene, I also co-owned Bluefish Bay Publishing (2000-2006), a general-subject book publisher, where I did freelance book illustrations, wrote and illustrated three books, and developed the company's website. Recent freelance assignments have included web development and design, children's books, greeting cards, party and gift supplies, scrapbook album covers, logos, brochures.

Surrounded by the beach, sawgrass, and palms, I'm painting, illustrating, and developing websites full-time. 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 oldest city in the U.S.



Galleries:
              
Some of Mary's original work can be found at the following galleries. Mary also welcomes commission paintings.

130 King Fine Arts Gallery
130 King Street
St. Augustine, FL
904.829.8280

Cousart Studios
64a Hypolita Street
St. Augustine, FL
904.826.3323
www.cousartstudios.com

First Street Gallery
216-B First Street
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
904.241.6928
www.firststreetgallery.com

Fairfax Gallery
1740 Sawgrass Village Drive
Ponte Vedra, FL 32082
904.285.1121

               
     


Exhibits, Shows & Awards:



  • 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 (Sept 2007-Jan 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."
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Speaking Engagements and Workshops:

  • April 12 2008 -- "Unleash Your Wild Creativity: Leaping Head-First to Free Your Creative Genius," Jacksonville, FL. Journey to Empowerment conference
  • April 10 2008 -- "Feeding and Watering Your Muse," St. Augustine, FL. Pen Women meeting
  • April 5 2008 -- "Wild Creativity," St. Augustine, FL. Pen Women Writers' Weekend at the Art Advocate Gallery
  • March 29 2008 -- "Jump Start Your Writing," Jacksonville, FL. Writers--Nuts & Bolts conference
  • 2000 -- 2007 School visits and workshops for children: Experiments in Drawing and writing

Illustrated Books and Book Covers:

Education:

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

Memberships:



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