Biography
BACKGROUND
When Mary was young she always had a camera in her hand. she loved travelling, which she did often on vacation and in her job since it allowed her to frequently indulge in her photography passion. When career responsibilities took over, photography became more of a part-time activity.
Since she retired from academic life in 2007, she has devoted herself to fine art photography and more recently (since 2018) to painting.
Her expertise has come from multiple courses taken over the years at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Ryerson University, Toronto School of Art, Niagara School of Imaging, and various workshops with well-known artists.
She paints on wood panels to produce original pieces, incorporating various media in the art. Her most recent work involves painting abstracts with oil mixed with cold wax. The nature of this medium allows her to both build up and scrape back though many layers, resulting in complex intriguing compositions.
CURRENT
Mary lives in Oakville (near Toronto, Ontario, Canada) where she has a studio, conducts workshops and shows her work in a home gallery. To view and/or purchase contact: perduemary@live.com.
Mary is a member of Toronto Heliconian Club, Canadian Association of Photographic Arts, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Visual Arts Mississauga and Art Works Oakville.
EXHIBITIONS
Over the years Mary has shown her photographs and paintings at several galleries in Ontario (Toronto, Oakville, Burlington, Collingwood, Point au Baril). As a member, Chair of Visual Arts and President from 2015-18 of the Heliconian Club in Toronto, Mary participated in nine group shows (photographs and paintings) and held two solo shows: "Portraits of Heliconian Women" in 2013 and "Havana Reality" in 2014; two books were published of these photographs.
During Covid-19 (2020-2022), the ability to show art works was severely limited. However, there were a few virtual exhibitions where Mary's work was shown: "Luminous 2021", October 2021 at Heliconian Club, "Why Do We Create" January 2022 at Visual Arts Mississauga.
PROJECTS
1) Portraits of women members of the Heliconian Club (a club for women in the arts), taken for a book published in 2012. This project was special because the women achieved so much in their lifetimes. The objective with these portraits was to portray the unique personality of each individual.
2) Landscapes, including Georgian Bay where Mary has a cottage, the Rocky Mountains where she loves to hike and ski, and areas of unique geography such as Algonquin Park and the deserts and land formations of the southwest USA.
3) Travel to obtain unique photographs of people, streetscapes, landscapes, markets and other subjects. One project has been photographing the people and the streets of Old Havana, an area of the city that tourists seldom visit. These scenes form the basis of her book, "Havana Reality". See the images in the portfolio.
4) Black and white photographs, processed to emphasize contrast and texture.
5) Combining photography and painting in which the image is revealed through a veil of translucent glazes.
6) Painting abstracts in oil and cold wax, inspired by weathered surfaces such as the old walls of Spanish colonial buildings.
PURCHASE
Because of the various possibilities of printing and presentation the prices are not listed. If you are interested in purchasing please contact by email (perduemary@live.com) to discuss your preferences and obtain a quote.
When Mary was young she always had a camera in her hand. she loved travelling, which she did often on vacation and in her job since it allowed her to frequently indulge in her photography passion. When career responsibilities took over, photography became more of a part-time activity.
Since she retired from academic life in 2007, she has devoted herself to fine art photography and more recently (since 2018) to painting.
Her expertise has come from multiple courses taken over the years at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Ryerson University, Toronto School of Art, Niagara School of Imaging, and various workshops with well-known artists.
She paints on wood panels to produce original pieces, incorporating various media in the art. Her most recent work involves painting abstracts with oil mixed with cold wax. The nature of this medium allows her to both build up and scrape back though many layers, resulting in complex intriguing compositions.
CURRENT
Mary lives in Oakville (near Toronto, Ontario, Canada) where she has a studio, conducts workshops and shows her work in a home gallery. To view and/or purchase contact: perduemary@live.com.
Mary is a member of Toronto Heliconian Club, Canadian Association of Photographic Arts, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Visual Arts Mississauga and Art Works Oakville.
EXHIBITIONS
Over the years Mary has shown her photographs and paintings at several galleries in Ontario (Toronto, Oakville, Burlington, Collingwood, Point au Baril). As a member, Chair of Visual Arts and President from 2015-18 of the Heliconian Club in Toronto, Mary participated in nine group shows (photographs and paintings) and held two solo shows: "Portraits of Heliconian Women" in 2013 and "Havana Reality" in 2014; two books were published of these photographs.
During Covid-19 (2020-2022), the ability to show art works was severely limited. However, there were a few virtual exhibitions where Mary's work was shown: "Luminous 2021", October 2021 at Heliconian Club, "Why Do We Create" January 2022 at Visual Arts Mississauga.
PROJECTS
1) Portraits of women members of the Heliconian Club (a club for women in the arts), taken for a book published in 2012. This project was special because the women achieved so much in their lifetimes. The objective with these portraits was to portray the unique personality of each individual.
2) Landscapes, including Georgian Bay where Mary has a cottage, the Rocky Mountains where she loves to hike and ski, and areas of unique geography such as Algonquin Park and the deserts and land formations of the southwest USA.
3) Travel to obtain unique photographs of people, streetscapes, landscapes, markets and other subjects. One project has been photographing the people and the streets of Old Havana, an area of the city that tourists seldom visit. These scenes form the basis of her book, "Havana Reality". See the images in the portfolio.
4) Black and white photographs, processed to emphasize contrast and texture.
5) Combining photography and painting in which the image is revealed through a veil of translucent glazes.
6) Painting abstracts in oil and cold wax, inspired by weathered surfaces such as the old walls of Spanish colonial buildings.
PURCHASE
Because of the various possibilities of printing and presentation the prices are not listed. If you are interested in purchasing please contact by email (perduemary@live.com) to discuss your preferences and obtain a quote.