Category Archives: NEWS
My Dual Passions – Art and Gardening
At the age of 14, I was alone and lying in the summer grass on a hill in Brooklyn, New York, staring upward through the leaves at the passing clouds while trying to understand why a person I loved dearly had suddenly died. Without an anchor or language to explain the passage, I was at a profound loss and searching for an answer, an explanation. I clearly remember feeling the warm energy from the ground swell up and pass through my body and like a mist, mingle into the leaves and up into the clouds in that deeply blue sky.
At that moment, I recognized that I, as a person, was just another aspect of nature, joined with the wind, the air, the plants, the trees, and all life teeming around me – just another form of energy. This gift has been with me throughout my life and is what I gather in my garden and express in my art.
My Zig-Zag Journey
Like most of us, our life journey takes many paths. For me, my twists and turns led me to a career that blended my fine arts training with my technical background.
The Start Of My Artistic Journey 50 Years Ago
My first step towards discovering that my life’s work would be an artistic journey was buying a Jon Gnagy, Learn to Draw set and experiencing a sensation that the charcoal was an extension of my hand, my arm and my body. It was thrilling!
After completing his entire set of drawing lessons, I decided to take painting classes at the local YMCA where I lived at the time in Queens, NY. So, I arranged for a babysitter, signed up for the oil painting class and made my first foray into Jerry’s Artarama art supply store with my supply shopping list in hand. How electrifying to be exposed to so many wonderful and exciting new products, widgets, thingies, colors, brushes, papers and canvas. Oh, the possibilities!
News About my Art, Exhibitions, Events & Social Media Posts
This Is What I’ve Been Talking About on Instagram Lately
On Instagram, I write about my life as an artist. Behind the scenes in the studio, preparing for art exhibitions, marketing opportunities, my garden inspirations, artist friends and my artistic journey.
You can follow all my posts here or follow me on Instagram. I also post to Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads and YouTube.
Art of the Bloom. Exhibition at The Art Guild in Port Washington
Art of the Bloom
Juried Exhibition at
The Art Guild
Elderfields Preserve
200 Port Washington Blvd.
Manhasset, NY 11030
On View: September 10-30, 2023
Email: info@theartguild.org
P. 516.304.5797
Flowers have historically been a source of inspiration for artists and designers around the world, from Claude Monet to Andy Warhol. Floral imagery can evoke a wide range of emotions and moods, from the boldness of a daisy to the quietness of a water lily. See how these artists interpret and represent The Art of the Bloom in their work.
Let It Grow. Art Exhibition at The Flushing Bank
The National Association of Women Artists
in Collaboration With The Flushing Bank
Are bringing a Seasonal Focus to the concept for this in-person exhibition.
Enjoy the buoyant color and interpretation of the season by a variety of Fine Artists.
“Let It Grow!”
Now through October 5, 2023
Visit the Flushing Bank at the Park Avenue South Branch
225 Park Ave South
New York, NY 10003
There is a sense of joy, excitement, and awe when nature or human relations are nurtured through caring and kindness to allow everything to flourish and grow. This theme reflects the focus of both of these historic organizations. The National Association of Women Artists, as the first women’s fine arts organization established in the US, has been helping women artists grow by empowering them to expand their vision. This theme of growth also serves as the guiding force behind the efforts of the Flushing Bank in support of the needs of its customers. There is a synergy in these efforts.
Garden Blog Post – Overwintering My Summer Tropical Garden
Overwintering My Summer Tropical Garden is now posted on my garden blog.
I wrote about how I converted my darkroom into a plant room with sinks, counters and LED lighting.. I show a four month sequence of photos from my plant room to the deck where the plants spend their summer vacation.
The Big Picture 2023 at the Art League of Long Island
At this year’s Big Picture Exhibition, six Signature Members of the National Association of Women Artists were juried into the show. This is an incredible achievement since 94 artists submitted 214 images, out of which 36 works were selected to be exhibited by Juror, Simon Levenson. This is yet one more indication of the quality of the NAWA Signature members.
ALLI
107 East Deer Park Rd
Dix Hills NY 11746
Check for Gallery Hours: p. 631-462-5400 Email: info@artleagueli.org
Huntington Arts Council Members Showcase Exhibition June 2023
The annual HAC Members Showcase Exhibition is an opportunity to see the diversity and depth of creative work by the individual member artists in the enormously creative community of Huntington NY.
213 Main Street
Huntington NY 11743
June 9th – July 14th 2023
Reception: June 9th, 2023 4:00- 7:00 pm
Click here for the HAC Website
Bio: Mary Ahern is a classically trained artist who works in both digital and traditional mediums. Her work, which is inspired by her garden, invokes spiritual and philosophical questions beyond the canvas.
Statement: As a passionate gardener, my art is as intricately entwined as the gardens surrounding my studio. The lessons learned from the garden permeate my work.
With boldness in color & scale my art summons, with seeming simplicity, the complex questions of existence and purpose. These flowers represent a microcosm of the universe in their families and community as well as their quest for survival, eventual senescence and rebirth.
With a duality of macro and micro vision, my flowers invite the viewer to see, larger than life, the intricacy and purpose of their existence. And in their boldness, I suggest a contemplation of their relevance and ours in the social order of our universe.