Mary Tilley Zeman/Self-Taught Artist
Born in Jamaica(Queens), N.Y. October 1963
Current City: Greenville, S.C
Phone: 770-596-2924 Website: www.maryzemanart.com
Artforms: Paintings, Sculpture, Phototgraphy, Collage, Fabric.
e-mail: maryezeman@aol.com/ B.A Journalism/Advertising, University of Georgia 1986
ARTIST BIO:
In 1997, I began to paint after I had brain surgery to remove a benign brain tumor from the right side of my brain. I was recovering from surgery, and out of the blue, I called my mom and asked her to take me to buy some paint and brushes. This was the first time I ever painted in my life. While I was growing up, I was never exposed to art and just didn’t know anything about it, though I had always wanted to learn more. I began painting on wood, paper, newspaper, anything I could find, then I started to paint on canvas. When I went back to my job in television, people looked at my art on the walls of my cubicle, and some people encouraged me to go further with it. I would work all day, then come home and paint at night, and looked forward to the time I would be painting. In October of 2000, I decided to leave my job and make a go of being a full-time artist. Each day, I learn something new about art, and I love making art. The biggest compliment I can get is when adults look at my work and say, “that looks so childlike”. On the surface, my work seems to be innocent and non-threatening, but if you look deeper, there are many times observations about everything, from life, death, religion, politics, pain, childhood, just about everything. I never know what I’m going to paint, it just comes to me as I go. I love to write poetry, also, but don’t do it as much as I used to.. My artistic influences are varied. I like the work of Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Howard Finster, Andy Warhol, Alice Neal, Harry Teague, & many others. I think art is everywhere, sometimes we just have to see.
SHOWS:
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Greenville Open Studios/South Carolina 2021
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Inman Park Festival/Atlanta 1998-2012
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Fearrington Folk Art Show/North Carolina 2006-2009
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Who Fest Outsider Art Show/Atlanta 2004-2005,2007-2009
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Wesleyan School Art Show/Atlanta 2005-2007, 2009
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Folk Fest/Atlanta 2001, 2003,2004, 2005-2007, 2009
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Atlanta Merchandise Mart/Handcrafted 2009
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Travelers Rest Art Mission Show/South Carolina 2007-2008
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Creative Arts Guild/Dalton, GA 2007-2008
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Gilda’s Club Art Show/Atlanta, GA 2008
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Work of Our Hands Art Show/Atlanta 2005-2006,2008
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Clairemont Elementary Art Show/Decatur,GA 2003-2005,2007(Birdhouse Design Winner 2005)
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Market at the Works/Atlanta 2006-2007
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Arts For Independence/Atlanta 2005-2006
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Decatur Arts Festival/Decatur, GA 2001, 2004-2006
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Spotlight on Southern Artists/Atlanta 2002, 2004-2006
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Raw Art Festival/London, England 2004
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Virginia-Highland Summerfest/Atlanta 2004(Tee Shirt Design Winner), 2005
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Urban Market on Means Street/Atlanta 2004
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FinsterFest/Summerville, GA 2000-2003
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House of Blues Folk Art Festival/Orlando 2001-2002
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Nordstrom’s/Atlanta (Versace in-store promotion) 2002
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Roswell Arts Festival/Roswell, GA 2002-2003
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MOCA GA/“Off the Wall” Show)Atlanta 2002
As of January 2021, I am currently living and working in Greenville, South Carolina, and my home studio is open for visits. Feel free to contact me by appointment only for studio visits.