MARY DeSTEFANO ART

 My name is Mary DeStefano, and I am a Washington, DC-metro-area visual artist who works in acrylic, pastel, and watercolor. I was born and raised in the woods of Arkansas and am strongly connected to the landscapes and environments in my life, including those from my childhood, the Maryland, DC, and Virginia landscapes I live near now, and ones I encounter while traveling. I paint primarily bold, but serene landscapes and plants, with attention to color theory, the psychological and emotional impact of shape and color, and the ways memory alters images.

My paintings are about nature, beauty, and how we are all interconnected through the landscapes we inhabit. There is an inner peace that is found when staring at something beautiful, whether a grand natural scene or a beautiful painting, and I believe that encountering beauty and the ineffable can allow people to tap into an inner wisdom. We need the world to move toward being one where everyone lives with the earth and nature, and not just on her, and understanding how special the landscapes and plants in our life are is the first step. We are all interconnected.

I have shown my work in New York, Connecticut, Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Arkansas, and my work has been commissioned and collected nationally. I have a BFA from Yale University and a master’s in urban planning from Hunter College. I live in Hyattsville, Maryland with my husband and two children.

(This photo was taken by my husband when we were in Seville, Spain for our honeymoon!)