Mary O'Brien

Living in Two Worlds

No Trompe L'Oeil here (apoligies for my first non-art post on this site) but just pretty much how I feel ending a 2-year stint as an Arts Administrator here in Charlotte, NC.
Along the way, I got some "authentic Southern taste" added to my Northerness.
Now, during the long drive home, I'll try to make sense of it all (3K miles ought to do it) with some new project ideas that I'll incubate, while trying to keep Daniel in the truck in site out one of the windshields.

A Year in the South

Who You Calling Sweetie, Sweetie?

Squeezed

Waste or want?
What could a bag of lemons do to help the hungry? Does the gesture do more for the giver or receiver?

I Have, I Want

No, this is not about personal downsizing, as some have asked.

Haves and Wants

I'm living in the urban South this year. Our apartment overlooks a freeway viaduct that also doubles as a homeless encampment. The commute traffic wakes me before dawn each morning, as it does the viaduct dwellers. I often watch them climb out from their camp as I sip my morning coffee in comfort. A disjointed reality and reminder of the bigger picture beyond the studio.

Wildacres Residency

From my artist residency at Wildacres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The studio was immense, the surroundings awe inspiring and the people absolutely wonderful and supportive.

Words are Following Me

Words have always meant a lot to me. I support my art practice by writing, researching and editing. These days though, words seem to follow me into the studio. Here you see studies for a larger, multi-piece interactive ceramic installation. Rather than indulge the delicate nature of ceramics, I want the viewer to interact with them, and in doing so, manipulate the original context.