About Mary Hanlon

For as long as I can remember I have been drawn toward the visual arts. I grew up in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts which has always been a rich environment for arts and culture and (luckily for me) a fertile area to grow artistically. I was blessed with wonderful parents and surrounded by four great brothers. My parents prioritized education and nurtured our growth as individuals. As a child, I drew constantly and was fortunate to take quality art classes at The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield. In high school, I took a painting class locally and have been hooked ever since.

My Story

I’ve experimented with pastels, watercolors and oil, but when I found acrylics, I found my home. I love its diversity- sometimes mimicking watercolor and sometimes oil, but always very much its own thing. It has such vibrancy and I love that it dries quickly and has ease of mixing and cleanup,

I minored in studio art at Trinity College, Washington, D.C. and have a Masters in Teaching English from Boston University. I’ve also taken numerous painting classes with professional painters in the Boston area, including Linda Bond, Ellen Rolli, Marjorie Glick, Tom Sutherland, and Brother Edward Rice. I taught high school and middle school English for a short time and then spent many years as a stay-at-home mom with the support of my wonderful husband. Bill. Along the way, I always tried to find time for my art, develop my skills, and enjoy the meditative benefits that painting provides. While raising my family, I taught art classes locally to children in the public schools, YMCA, and Recreation department. Exhibits include the annual juried Melrose Arts Festival, Juried Belmont Gallery of Art “Nourish” Show 2021, Juried RAA&M National 2021 and 2022, Juried Cambridge Art Association “Love That Dirty Water” Exhibit 2022, Juried North Shore Arts Association Exhibit New England 2022, Painting Concord 2022, Newburyport Art Association Members’ Winter Juried Show 2023, Newburyport Art Association “Scenes of Newburyport” Exhibit 2023, Newburyport Art Association “Journeying Well: Artistic Pathways” Exhibit 2023, RAA&M Contributing Members Show December 2023, Beebe Estate Gallery, Melrose Summer Art Market, Melrose Windows Walk, Melrose Open Studios, and local charitable auctions.

My style can be best characterized as “Impressionistic Realism.” It is Realistic in that it is representational, clear, and often sharp-focused, but it has the Impressionistic elements of capturing the feeling, emotion, and essence of a scene rather than striving for exactness. I seek the beauty, color, light, and energy in every subject I paint and push them to their limits as an expression of my own reactions to the scene. I hope that the viewer feels this passion and finds enjoyment in my work!

I am married and have three grown sons. I live and work in the Boston area.