About Mary Reilly

"Since my early childhood, nature has had a profound affect on me in ways that I cherish. The state of mind that is instilled within me when walking through the woods, or on a secluded beach by the sights, the sounds, the smells, the sense of nostalgia, the timelessness and diversity of nature's splendor. The peaceful solitude I find there, the quiet introspection it affords me, and the sense of awe I feel from witnessing nature's determined perseverance against time, is so nurturing, uplifting and inspiring. When I draw these scenes and images of nature, all of those thoughts and feelings resurface within me, and I feel centered and peaceful. My intention in sharing my art work is the hope that these images affect the viewer in a similarly positive way.

For my subject matter, I try to find and emphasize the beauty of those locations and images in nature which are often beyond one's passing glance. I generally choose a place that I feel has a tranquil, isolated, and slightly mysterious quality to it as well. For me, working in graphite, using the techniques I've learned and have cultivated over the years, has been extremely gratifying. I tone my paper with up to eight layers of graphite before starting my drawing, taking the surface to a middle tone then pushing the darks and lifting the lights. This process creates subtle shifts in the tone that are in harmonious contrast with the sharpness of the minute details, helping me create a sensuality and a mood in each piece.

I lived in New York City for over 25 years, during which time I would travel to the wooded areas of the parks within the five boroughs in search of images in nature that would become the subject for my landscape drawings. These images represented some of the natural beauty from the boroughs that too few get to appreciate. Since my move to northern Vermont, I have become immersed in nature and the magnitude of its ever changing seasons. Images that I once traveled to find in New York City I now stumble upon in my everyday life. Nature is so plentiful here and its constant transformation so enchanting.  My most recent landscape drawings have been influenced by the extraordinary phenomenon of seasonal transformation; growth, decay and occurrences in nature. 

-Mary Reilly