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Featured Artist Mary Driver |
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Mary Driver is a wonderfully talented mosaic artist living right here in the Rogue Valley. I've had the pleasure of knowing Mary for a few years now and her mosaic work has always left me breathless. She has an eye for detail and an intuitive knowledge of color.
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Mary has lived in Oregon for 6 years. She is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan and met her husband Clint there. Clint was born and raised in the Eugene area and has family in the area. She and Clint always planned on retiring to Oregon.
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The couple lived in separate states for three years while Clint was building their home in the Applegate Valley. It was during that period that a friend suggested that Mary attend a mosaics class. Having a creative void to fill, and lots of time on her hands, Mary turn to glass. What started as a hobby soon became a passion.
"My mother was an artist, my sister is an artist ... I grew up thinking the artistic gene had just skipped me." |
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Mary started with some basic instruction but says she is mostly self-taught.
"I keep finding ways to challenge myself. I could just keep cranking out birch tree scenes one after another, but you need to push yourself to be able to grow as an artist." |
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Some challenges have been daunting: she found mosaic portraiture an "almost painful" exercise. By contrast, learning how to represent the reflectivity of water has been a fun and on-going challenge.
"If the water in your portrait is still, larger pieces will help you capture the reflections. If wind or current is creating more movement in the water, you'll find that working with smaller shards will help you capture your subject better." |
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Mary does stained glass pieces as well, but says mosaics are her first love. "They're a great way to recycle your cast-offs." Even with a huge supply of leftovers on hand, Mary says she still she enjoys searching for that perfect piece of glass for certain areas of her creations.
The most important lesson she's learned: "When you find that piece of glass that speaks to you, buy it! Even if you don't have a project in mind for it at present, it'll come to you. Patience!" |
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LightGarden Glass Art 1086 Washburn Lane Medford, Oregon 97501 1-541-779-0272 jessy@lightgarden.net |
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