Mary has been doing crafts most of her life, learning skills from her mom that would benefit her later in years. “I remember as a young girl going to home economics and the teacher asking if anyone knew someone who could do different crafts. I would raise my hand and say, “my mom could,” or “I can show you how my mom taught me.”
Mary received her first art lessons in the fall of 1999, taking a basic drawing/painting class in acrylics from artist Vivian Edwards.
“As an amateur photographer, I learned that the ability to see a good picture also allowed me to be able to recreate one from pen and ink. I also had been doing cross-stitch for many years using my own colors in the patterns, so I had a good working knowledge of color. My teacher was my mentor; she encouraged me to continue learning to use pen and ink. Since pen and ink and watercolor work well together, I naturally progressed into doing watercolor paintings. With Vivian encouraging me to try different techniques I learned Scratchboard which has become my main media. I also work in acrylic and colored pencil.”
Mary was born in Fort Myers Florida where birds became a very large part of her life. “My mother raised parakeets, finches and lovebirds. I learned first hand how beautiful birds are. Being raised in a tropical environment I had plenty of wild birds to study and enjoy. The time spent around birds gave me the ability to paint birds easily. I enjoy watching birds and appreciating nature. I love to hike the Blue Ridge Mountains of my adopted home state of South Carolina and nearby North Carolina.”
Embroidery
Stationary
June attended the Boston school of the arts. She and her husband Harold worked in ceramics at her studio in Massachusetts in 1962 thru 1965 and at The Wishing Well Studio in Naples, Florida from 1966 thru 1969.
While living in Florida in 1969, she painted murals for the Big Cypress Center, located in Naples. She won numerous awards for her ceramics. June and Harold made the trophy for the beard growing contest held at the Swamp Buggy weekend in 1968 and 1969.
June has been doing fabric art for 45 years. She has won many ribbons on her embroidery and quilting. June does antique quilt patterns and designs her own. June is a quilting and Brazilian embroidery teacher in South Carolina.
June is the first place winner in the Original Sewing & Quilt EXPO 2004 People's Choice Embroidery Challenge, presented by Stitches Magazine, Profitable Embroiderer Magazine and Brother International, for the category of Best Use of Novelty Threads in Embroidery.