Happy Winter!

Dear Creative Community,

Geneticist Mary Clare King (no relation) was asked in an interview on NPR “What is the purpose of science?”

She replied, “Two things: 1. to satisfy intellectual curiosity. 2. To be useful.”

I believe that this applies to art.

What is the purpose of Art?

1. To satisfy creative curiosity.

2. To be useful.

One recent afternoon, I had the pleasure of viewing the work of Anni Albers (1899-1994)  on display at the Mt. Holyoke Art Museum. An accomplished weaver from the Bauhaus, she wished to be a painter, but began studying textiles because it was the only department open to women. Weaving turned out to satisfy her creative curiosity and also proved to be quite useful. One of her projects was to design a curtain that could both absorb sound and reflect light. She notes, “a good designer…sends [her] products to a useful life.”

Albers took up printmaking later in her artistic career. The compositions and colors have direct influence from her weaving work. A tangible reminder that the art we created now plants seeds and grows our future work.

Gunta Stolzl’s weaving.

Albers’ colleague, Gunta Stolzl, was also a weaver. (Designers, you may recognize her surname from a lovely typeface by her name from the Inhouse Type Foundry.) Stolzl also created a body of illustrations and paintings. Stolzl’s journey from weaving to illustration reminds us that there is a story in every piece of work. Indeed, Stolzl wrote and illustrated a trio of children’s books for the sole purpose of delighting her children and grandchild.

Gunta Stolzl, Book for Yael, 1934.

With Stolzl’s sun child as my inspiration and with the winter sun ever more important in these dark winter days, I painted seven suns. This is a reminder that when it is cold and dark, take a moment to breathe deeply and cherish the sun’s rays.

What is the purpose of art? This dip into the past work of two extraordinary artists and a present moment of gratitude for the sun, feed my creative curiosity.

And I hope you find it useful too.

Be creative!

Mary

Happy Autumn!

Dear Creative Community,

Seeing the world through the eyes of my students was a daily joy when I taught elementary school. For my first graders, a favorite project involved writing about small moments. These are moments in our daily lives that may seem minor and insignificant, but when examined mindfully turn out, we often learn, to be the most significant moments of our days and lives.

Autumn is a perfect season for observing these small moments. On a recent walk I witnessed a tiny, bumpy, brown toad jump awkwardly across the path and briefly turn her belly in an almost-somersault to reveal her creamy, delicate skin.

On another outing I admired small stones neatly filed in the spaces of a drainage hole.

Mary Cleary, Stones in a Grate

In one small moment, I watched this little caterpillar devour a branch at the library.

These are the tiny bits of our lives that add texture, meaning, joy.

One significant inspiration in my art lately is the butterfly. I spied this little peacock butterfly on a milk thistle plant.

It is one of the butterflies that inspired my latest illustration celebrating neurodiversity. The butterfly carries much symbolism across cultures and throughout time. Recently, it has grown into a celebratory symbol of the many unique and beautiful qualities of neurodivergent people.

This celebration sticker is available in my shop.

Each time I see a delicate butterfly flitting from flower to flower or riding a zig-zag breeze, I am reminded of all the special qualities of every person in my life—especially those of us living a neurodivergent experience in our neurotypical world. And that is not insignificant.

So as we begin this beautiful autumnal season, it is time to reflect. What are some small moments in your day that, when layered with mindfulness and gratitude, become significant?

Be creative!

Mary

Happy Summer!

Dear Creative Community,

The summer warmth is a celebration. A time to enjoy the fruits of creativity.

A seed of a project that was planted last autumn, hibernated and grew during the winter, showed its early blossoms this spring is now finally ready to bloom in the summer sun. My latest project is Companion Classics: Fine Portraits of Fine Pets. It combines my love of art history with the here and now of adorable, comforting, playful pet companions. Please share this widely. Perhaps you, or someone in your community, would be interested in an original hand-painted portrait of a loved companion.

Mary Cleary, Dos Gatos

I call this one “Who’s a Good Girl with a Pearl Earring?” (Said in your best cutesy, pet-voice).

Other recent illustration adventures include the much anticipate return of the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference this May. The city of Stamford, Connecticut and UConn joined forces to welcome hundreds of creatives as we learned, shared and celebrated children’s literature.

This year’s theme was Hope is a Thing with Feathers. Emily Dickinson, you persist.

Highlights of this conference include the wit and wisdom of Deborah Freedman and the engaging energy of Rajani LaRocca. These accomplished women are examples of the modern-day polymath—architect and artist, doctor and author.

We are all many things—creators, companions, caregivers, teachers, students. What are examples of the many, many things that you are?

Enjoy the summer warmth, reflect and celebrate the multitude of things that you are.

Be creative!

Mary

Happy Spring!

Dear Creative Community,

I hope you are as open and excited about the winter thaw and the spring blossoming as I am.

Recently, I’ve been soaking up the deep thoughts of Chris Haughton as I read his new book, The History of Information. I found this one to be especially important in its reflections of what is information, how is it delivered and how is it received and, most importantly, grants us perspective and scale on the contexts of information sharing throughout history.

Since words and pictures are the fundamental building blocks of information sharing, I can’t help but think about how my love of illustrating and writing fit into this larger context. Human nature drives creativity and connection. This is what has sustained us as a people for tens of thousands of years. While my words and pictures are but a drop in a sea of information sharing, it is a drop I find deeply fulfilling. It is a drop that I hope resonates with you.

Speaking of words and pictures…

Words and pictures combine in my latest workshop featuring collage and poetry. The All Hampton Read program (a multi-city book club) is delving into the poetry of Ross Gay and his book catalog of unabashed gratitude. As part of the month-long, multi-community poetry celebration, I will be teaching Homegrown Gratitude: Poetry and Collage. In this workshop, I take inspiration from Gay’s poetry, combine it with collage techniques, and explore gratitude for the place where we live. I’m super excited for this workshop.

As we transition seasons and welcome warmth, let’s take a moment to reflect on gratitude, sense of place, and the perspective of being one little drop in a great big sea of time and space.

Be Creative,

Mary

Happy Winter!

Dear Creative Community,

Happy Winter!

In our common calendar, the new year begins in winter. It is a time of cozying up and hunkering down. It is a time to pause and recharge.

I identify with Leo Lionni’s story, Frederick, about a mouse collecting colorful pictures and poems to sustain the community through winter’s cold, dark days. I am reflecting on the colorful moments of the past few months.

Frederick, by Leo Lionni

Like Frederick and his appreciation of the world’s beautiful, natural colors, I cherished the serendipitous sighting of the Northern Lights in Westhampton. With OOOs and AHHHs my family drove to the darkest field to view the gorgeous lights.

I also savored teaching a watercolor workshop to a group of local creatives as we explored the colors of pressed fall leaves on a snow day in December.

I celebrated my critique partner and friend, Carol Munro, at her book launch party. Check out this beautiful story of enduring commitment. Springtime Storks is a gorgeous story that gives us a peak into spring.

Let us do as Frederick does.

What colorful memories sustain you in the winter months?
What colorful thoughts do you have for the coming spring?

Be Creative,

Mary

Happy Autumn!

Dear Creative Community,

Welcome to my seasonal newsletter. Here I will share with you creative endeavors, community events, and artful inspirations. I hope you will join me on our journey to be creative and contemplative creatures.

This autumn I find myself collecting. I am collecting acorns for the upcoming Fall Festival Fairy House build. I am collecting leaves for an upcoming workshop I’ll be teaching on watercolor and color theory. And I am collecting reference photos—so many reference photos— because I can’t help but pull over the car and pull out my camera (like Mary Jo—see more on that later) when I spot an elegant old tractor or sweet, sweet donkey as I drive around soaking in the gorgeous autumn days.

This October I also celebrated of the book release of my creative colleague and critique partner, Ellen Cohen, at the Silver Unicorn, local indie bookstore and home base for one of my favorite kid lit writers, Casey Robinson! Congratulations Ellen!

The Annual Fairy House build is a magical tradition at the local Fall Festival (along with the super fun Pumpkin Roll!). Here is a photo from last years’ build.

And squirrels! So many squirrels. My dog is vocally letting me know that they are in our yard, on the cherry trees, around the garden, jumping through leaves and busy, busy, busy. So I am sharing the excitement (bark, bark, bark) by painting some feisty squirrels it into my watercolor work.

And last, but not least, I want to share a gorgeous book with you, Still: The Art of Noticing by Mary Jo Hoffman. This is a book that honors and celebrates the power of dailyness. Mary Jo committed to taking one elegant photograph of nature every…single….day for over a DECADE. The practice in both its mindfulness and routine creates a work of art bigger than the sum of its parts. It is a reminder that what you do everyday is what you do with your life.

So let’s celebrate this time of reflection and collection. What small act do you do daily that builds to a powerful whole?

Be Creative,

Mary