Adore April 2021

I nspired by life's mundanities, Mary's acrylic and ink imagined scenes are full of color and pattern. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Mary received her BFA in Studio Art from the University of Georgia and her MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art. Before returning to the creative process, she managed a private art collection, negotiating sales and acquisitions and working with some of today's leading contemporary artists. Like many before her, she felt New Orleans calling and made the move just as the pandemic began to unfold. Mary Ball UPTOWN Artist maryballart.com

Why New Orleans? There is something about the culture and energy here that started speaking to me later in life. After being in the hustle of New York, I was ready to move back down south and into a slower paced environment. I've never looked back. What do you do to nurture creativity? I go on walks and photograph things along the way. I look for beauty in the mundane things — the mold on a wooden fence, a beautiful shadow, the color of a pink flower against a purple house. It's the things that are almost always there, but that you don't notice unless you're really paying attention. FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN NEW ORLEANS? I love that the humid, warm weather allows for a wide variety of lush and tropical plants. I especially love that there are snoballs. FAVORITE PART ABOUT WHAT YOU DO? When I create, I become an archeologist digging to reveal new things about myself and the world. It makes me feel connected to something bigger.

FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A SUNDAY AFTERNOON? Long walk along the levee with my dog.

FAVORITE QUOTE? "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

ADORE • APRIL 2021

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