Mary Salerno

Mary Salerno is drawn to the smaller details in objects and living things, the humor, the strong colors, the texture, and the process of conveying what intrigues her to the person(s) viewing her work.

She currently works in ceramics and pastels, finding much pleasure in touching and manipulating surfaces. These two mediums provide the best of both worlds for her. Going from 2-D to 3-D helps clear her palette, so to speak, allowing her to step back and take time to examine what she has done in each.

Mary finds working with pastel to be extremely freeing, allowing her to work with very strong, rich color quickly on a 2-D surface. The surface can be quite tactile or smooth, ranging from extremely smooth to quite coarse, which changes the application of the material and the feel and mood of the piece. She also has the option to paint with pastel, laying down an under-painting as either a foundation or final application. Applying the pastel directly with her hands is quite visceral, and she finds it very satisfying.

Working with clay satisfies her need to touch and manipulate a 3-D surface while also eventually fulfilling her desire to work on a 2-D surface with line, color, and texture. When working in ceramics, she loses herself in the feel of the clay and the concentration required to create form. Once the form is created, she uses it to finalize her 2-D surface. The addition of form to the mix has a great influence on her choice of focus. As with pastel, she uses color, but in the form of glaze and underglaze.

After a life filled with obtaining a B.F.A. and M.A.T.-C in studio art and art education, a long career in administration, and finding her way back to the world of art, Mary is privileged to work from her home in West Gloucester, doing what she truly loves.