ARTIST STATEMENT

"It's impossible to understand the light until we compare it to the dark".  I frequently make this point to students, attempting to improve the overall quality of their art.  "Don't be afraid of the dark" is another one---when we use a variety of values and high contrast, our work instantly improves.  The same applies on how to approach life.  There is light and dark to be found in the everyday.  When we learn to embrace the two sides, we improve our overall existence.

Take the quarantine for instance.  It was hard to ignore the anxiety, chaos and tragedy happening all around us.  Still, I found myself asking, "Is it wrong that this quarantine feels like a gift...just for me?" I used the gift of time to paint and produce like never before.  The result is a series entitled “Gifts of Quarantine”, commencing on the eve of 2020.  I followed the urge to paint images of impending doom, packaged in a beautiful setting.  I believe there is beauty to be found in the darkness; it’s not always something to be feared.  I’m just in my space, perfectly content finding joy in the chaos.

ARTIST BIO

Born in NJ, Mary Lou was raised in Farmington Hills, Michigan where she attended OLS, Mercy High School and University of Michigan School of Art.  After a brief stint in advertising and marketing, Mary Lou relocated to New Jersey where she earned her K-12 Art Teacher Certification.  It was there that she started a family and spent 10 years teaching art in Public Schools.  Mary Lou, her husband and two kids returned to Farmington Hills in 2012.  She and her sister are owners of the former Mother Mary’s Toffee in Farmington.   In the summer of 2020 she completed the mural on the East wall of Sunflour Bakehaus and began teaching art at Brother Rice High School. At Brother Rice she teaches studio art, photography and yearbook. She has completed several public art projects such as Farmington's perennial raven wings and a mural at Huntington Woods Library.  In 2022, she co-founded Skep Space, an artist incubator in downtown Farmington. Mary Lou recently completed her MA in Community Arts at Eastern Illinois University.