About
ARTIST STATEMENT
When I begin a painting, I prefer not to have a plan. Painting, for me, is a journey into the subconscious. I'm always excited to see what figures, symbols, and shapes emerge. Like in a dream, I am simultaneously the creator, the main character, and the ignorant witness watching it unravel with surprise. I let inspiration come to me in whatever form that may be—a shadow on the sidewalk, a speckled leaf, or the Spanish moss draped on a tree. The little details I discover in nature influence the patterns, colors, and imagery in my pieces.
Mary received her BFA from the University of Georgia in 2016 and her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2018. She currently resides in Birmingham, AL.
CV
MARY BALL
Education
2016-2018
MFA in Painting, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
2012 – 2018
BA in Painting and Drawing, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Artist in Residence
2024-2025
Tombolo, Third Annual Artist in Residence, New York, New York
2023
Willow House Residency, Terilingua, Texas
Exhibitions
2023
Art In Bloom | Featured Artist | New Orleans Museum of Art
2022
White Linen Night | Solo Show | Studio 633 | New Orleans, LA
2019
Summer Exhibition 2019 | Group Show | New York Academy of Art | New York, NY
Animals | Group Show | Site: Brooklyn Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
Controlled Chaos | Solo Show | 111 Franklin St | New York, NY
Take Home A Nude | Group Show | Sotheby’s | New York, NY
2018
MFA Thesis Exhibition | New York Academy of Art | New York, NY
2017
Take Home A Nude Art Auction | Group Show | Sotheby’s | New York, NY
Buy What You Love | Rema Hort Mann Foundation | New York, NY
Tribeca Ball | Group Show | New York Academy of Art | New York, NY
Awards
2017
Academy Scholar Award, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
Merit Scholarship, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
Ozymandias Wine Scholarship, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
2015
Judy Voss Jones Scholarship, University of Georgia
Rachel Sharp Decosimo Art Scholarship, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
2012
Kuzmicki-McCutchen Art Scholarship, University of Georgia, Athens, GA