NCCA-Artsplace Exhibit
Paintings by Mary Sundstrom
March 29 – April 29

Reception April 22,10:00 a.m. – Noon
Jansma Gallery at NCCA-Artsplace

Mary Sundstrom is a West Michigan painter, illustrator, jeweler and sculptor, influenced by the natural world of the region. As a naturalist, she is fascinated by creatures, fungi and plants living among the bayous surrounding the Grand River near where she lives. Her playful oil paintings represent what she sees in the landscape mixed with her own perceptions. When Mary is not creating she is traveling with her husband Randy or working at the Holland Area Arts Council where she designs and curates exhibitions and public art projects.

“Pattern” is the word that plays through my mind as I sketch small thumbnails that turn into oil paintings. My favorite subject matter are the plants, objects and reflected shapes of the water and sky. I also appreciate a wet and muddy pondside or unsung weeds. I hope to direct your attention to a frog’s eye view of the landscape or the oddest shaped clouds. My subjects play and interact with each other in the picture plane. Sometimes I create a silent, but riotous “plant party”. This party is decorated with balloon shaped clouds and garlands of wild seed heads. This is the lighter side of my work. The darker side of my paintings are about my disappointment in the human race. How we have nearly destroyed our environment. I imagine the “plant party scenes” took place before humans ever were or after humans have vanished and the landscape returns to what it was before.