FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Northport NY Artist Mary Ahern Presents

“Portraits From My Garden”

A Solo Exhibition at the Locust Grove Historic Site, Poughkeepsie, NY

On View June 5 – September 15, 2026

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Locust Grove Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark on the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, NY, is proud to present “Portraits From My Garden”, a solo exhibition of large-scale oil paintings and drawings by Northport-based artist Mary Ahern. One of only four artists selected to exhibit at Locust Grove this year, Ahern brings 17 original works to the estate’s galleries through September 15, 2026.

Rooted in the artist’s own garden, the paintings in “Portraits From My Garden” are more than botanical subjects — they are visual arguments for a way of living. Ahern’s monumental floral portraits call from the gallery walls with quiet urgency, inviting viewers to consider questions of existence, purpose, and mutual care. The flowers are symbols: of the pollinators required for the next generation of plants, of the worms and fungi that sustain the soil, of the water and sunlight that nourish all living things. In Ahern’s vision, the garden is a model of community — one in which every member depends on and gives back to every other.

“My flowers are not just beautiful objects,” says Ahern. “They are a reminder that health — whether in a garden or a human life — depends on community. The pollinators, the soil, the light, the rain: nothing survives in isolation. We as humans are part of this living system, not apart from it. My hope is that standing in front of these paintings, people will begin to ask themselves how we can better care for one another and for the world we share.”

Working in oil on a bold scale, Ahern layers pigment to capture not just the appearance of flowers, but their presence — luminous, alive, and insistent. Her work sits at the intersection of realism and abstraction, drawing equally from her decades of studio practice and her deep knowledge of the natural world.

Ahern holds degrees in both Fine Art and Horticulture, and a Botanical Illustration certificate from NYBG. She is represented by Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, a leading feminist art institution, and her work is featured on Bloomberg Connects and Artsy. She has exhibited widely, and her writing about art, nature, and creative life appears in Sanctuary Magazine and on her Substack column, Naturally Inspired.

“Portraits From My Garden” is on view at Locust Grove Historic Site, 2683 South Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. For more information, visit the Locust Grove website.

Locust Grove is a National Historic Landmark and the former home of Samuel F.B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code. The 200-acre estate on the Hudson River includes historic gardens, five miles of trails, and exhibit galleries.

Contact: Mary Ahern. Email: mary@maryahernartist.com. Call/Text: 516-443-6410

Download the Official Press Release here.

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