Background
Born and raised in Bermuda, Mary attended university in New Brunswick, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964. She emigrated to Toronto in 1967 and now lives in the rolling hills north of Port Hope, Ontario, where she raised her three children and pursues her other interests, such as gardening and choral singing.
Before becoming drawn to photography, Mary worked as an administrative assistant in Bermuda, Toronto, and Port Hope, later establishing a freelance editing business which saw her adding copy editing, proofreading, and indexing to her skills, working for a variety of authors and publishers. **
For Mary, photography as a passion and creative vehicle began to emerge late in 1996. Enjoying many subjects, she finds photography a fulfilling medium for expressing and sharing her feelings about this world. Stirred by the patterns, shapes, colours, and textures around her, she often portrays them in abstract form.
An inspiration for Mary is Canada’s distinguished photographer Freeman Patterson. While primarily self-taught, she has studied with him and in March of 2005 was part of a two-week invitational tour to northwest South Africa under his leadership. She has also studied with New Brunswick’s André Gallant, Ontario’s Richard Martin, and New Zealand’s Sally Mason. **
Mary has conducted workshops in Northumberland County and Peterborough since 1998. She has acted as a judge for photography contests and exhibitions, ** and has made numerous presentations of her work to camera clubs and other groups from Kingston through to St. Catharines. She is active with the Northumberland Photography Club (www.northumberlandphoto.ca), and has held solo exhibitions in Bowmanville and Port Hope, and during the See Us Photography Festival and the annual Ganaraska Studio Tour.
** For further details of Mary's education and experience, please click here.
Artist's Statement
My photography reflects my response to subjects ranging from distant landscapes to things close at hand, created by nature or by humans. Often working alone, I become completely absorbed and find myself transported to another world.
Particularly when looking through a close-up lens, I discover the unexpected: everyday objects are transformed beyond the familiar. We all interpret things individually but, as we reflect on art of any kind, it is perhaps not as important to understand what a subject is as it is to simply feel its essence.
To Contact
e-mail: mary@marytalbotphotography.com