Mary Michael Shelley: Painted Woodcarvings, Carving out a Life

FOUND in Ithaca and the Gallery@FOUND are proud to feature Mary Michael Shelley as our artist for the month of March.

Painted Woodcarvings, Carving out a Life opens Wednesday, March 5th and will be installed in the Gallery through Sunday, March 30th.

Mary Shelley is commonly referred to as an American folk artist, although she is more comfortable with the term “self-taught”.

Her artwork is entirely carved in white pine and then painted with acrylics. Each piece is a unique handmade original.

Mary is untaught and untrained as a visual artist. She says she learned a number of useful skills by building her own house, and while working in the trades as a sign painter and carpenter.

 

 

Mary has completed approximately 1000 carved and painted wood pictures.

Her work has been shown in the following collections:

• Smithsonian Institute, White House Easter Egg Collection
• American Museum in Britain, Bath, England
• American Museum of Folk Art, New York, NY
• Absolut Vodka Collection
• Fenimore Art Museum, N.Y. Historical Association
• High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia
• Petullo Foundation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• National Museum of Women and the Arts, Washington, DC
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, NY
• Coca-Cola Company
• Historic Ithaca

We hope you’ll join us for this very special show!