Manning, Iowa
Photography, painting, pyrography, gourd art, sculpture, wood carving

Address: 2615 380th St, Manning, Iowa. (Studio is roughly halfway between Westside and Manning, southwest of the 5 Mile House, be sure to see our maps page)

Mary bought her first 35mm at 35, and picked up a paintbrush at 45. She took many online photography classes (Perfect Picture School of Photography) and a few watercolor classes in Carroll, IA, and Ft. Collins, CO. In 2020, she decided if she must stay home, she needed things to do, so took online oil painting classes through Gary Jenkins, joined a local gourd group, and taught herself to sculpt using paper clay and polymer clays. She does some paint pouring and paintbrush painting with acrylics, as well as pastels, pyrography and carving on gourds, and most recently learned wood carving—both with chisel and knives. (classes by Vic Hood and Janet Cordell)

With her photography, she likes to invoke feeling, be it the peace of a Sunday evening, or the boy beggar on the streets of Athens. With sculpture, her characters will warm you up and make you smile, guaranteed! The gourds are a favorite of family and friends, hands down, with the organic feel, resonating with nature. She sometimes uses alcohol ink on them as they are transparent, never paint. 

When she is creating, she says she’s in a zone where nothing from the outside interferes. She often prays for guidance beforehand. She loses complete track of time, forgetting to eat (and feed her hungry farmer husband). If art has a goal other than self-fulfillment, she says, it is to create mindfulness in her viewers, be it to make a personal change or to smile and be whole in the moment.

Mary has a studio at her farm south of Westside where she works in many different mediums. She has been accepted by jury to sell at Arts on Grande in Spencer, and has received Best in Show and Honorable Mentions in contests – both national and international.