ary Ahern is a classically trained artist working in both traditional and digital mediums. While working full time in the computer graphics industry she always maintained her own working studio, producing Fine Art in traditional mediums. This left-brained/right-brained synergy has been instrumental in allowing her to achieve her high level of success in a variety of venues.
Throughout the years her Fine Art has been shown in museums and galleries and is represented in private collections. Mary creates her Fine Art Paintings using her own extensive gardens for source material while capitalizing on her degrees in Fine Arts and in Horticulture.
During her professional career in the industry, Mary was in the television & broadcast production fields in National and Regional Sales and Marketing positions. She's taught and lectured extensively about computer graphics, and has been the focus of industry publications. Having received a concussion on the glass ceiling, Mary launched her own company, Online Design, in the early ‘90’s. With this endeavor she was able to very successfully combine her graphic arts talent and her extensive computer graphics experience.
When Mary is painting in oils she uses a classical approach to process derived from the working methodology of the 17th Century Golden Age of Dutch floral painters which is epitomized by the layering of paint over a grisaille underpainting. Rejecting their more traditional style of botanical imagery, she brings a fresh, new and modern use of color and scale to these centuries old glazing techniques.
Her Digital Mixed Media Paintings build upon her expertise in that classical process which allows her to create her compositions and paint directly on the computer using a pressure sensitive stylus and tablet. She paints the lighting, the color, the depth and dimension of the whole, making a unified bouquet, flower arrangement, still life or plant portrait.
As a Traditional Fine Artist painting in oils and watercolors for over 30 years and having spent the last 25 years immersed in computer graphics, Mary created Digital Mixed Media Paintings as a new Genre of Fine Art for herself.
She then took the idea of combining mediums to another level.
Ahern introduced the concept of Custom Editions to offer her customers the opportunity of collaborating in the creation of their own unique decorating vision. Using her own Fine Art Paintings as a starting point, she specializes in translating the ideas offered by her customers into unique solutions for specific design, site placement and select decor needs.
Because of her extensive background in business, sales, marketing and graphic design she brings a powerful professional element to her work. Mary Ahern has successfully mastered a unique synergy of Fine Arts, computers and business in order to fully understand and satisfy herself and the needs and vision of her customers.
