Mary Bevlock, an artist at the studio at Lower Merion Vocational Training Center, is one of RHD's featured artists who will have their work shown at the
Sanford Smith Outsider Art Fair in New York Jan. 27. She is a hard working artist who works diligently with watercolors and mixed media to create amazing fields of color. She is very considerate of the pictorial composition taking into account form, shape, and color. All of her pieces are filled with vivid colors and shapes. She takes great pride in her work and is focused on making artwork. As Mary and her fellow artists get ready for the Sanford Smith show, she took the time for a brief interview this week.
Where have you shown your artwork?
2012
-Main Line Art Center/“Play”/ Haverford, PA (Group) January
-Outside In Gallery/ RHD Online Gallery/ Philadelphia, PA(Currently on View)
2011
-Sweet Mabel Gallery/ Narberth, PA (Group) December
-L.M.V.T.C. / “Celebrity Series”/ Wynnewood, PA (Solo) November
-Magic Garden Show/Philadelphia, PA/ (Group) July
-AMC Charity Event/ Ambler, PA/ (Group) June
-Tattoo Gallery/ Philadelphia, PA/(Group) May
-Main Line Art Center/ “There’s Always Room for Dessert/(Group) January
2010
-Main Line Unitarian Church/ Devon, PA/ (Group) November
-Norristown State Hospital/ 12th Anniversary Art Festival/(Group) Sept.
-Resources for Human Development/ Philadelphia, PA (Group) August
-AMC Charity Event/ Ambler, PA/ (Group) June
-Wayne Art Center/ 2nd Annual Main Line Arts Festival/ (Group) June
Have you won any awards?
Yes, I won a TV at RHD. I was also featured in an article in the Main Line Times and have been interviewed in a Documentary film.
Where do you live?
In Havertown, PA
Where did you go to school?
St. Katherine’s Day School
What medium do you like to use?
I like to paint: I like mixing colors when I paint, I like the big brushes for the background, and I use smaller brushes to do detail.
I also like using color pencils. I love colors! My favorite colors are blue, orange, green, yellow and pink! I like to draw a picture and then color it in. It makes me feel good. I really like to color quickly, and it feels really good to finish coloring a drawing.
How do you decide to make your artwork?
I watch TV, and I watch All My Children. Susan Lucci is an actress that I like. I also watch General Hospital, and I really like Maurice Benard from that show, his name is “Sonny Corinthos” on the show. I read soap opera magazines, every one of them that comes out, they come in the mail, and I also collect pictures about the soap operas, I have soap opera books.
At work, I made a photocopy of Susan Lucci, and Marice Bernard, and then I drew pictures of them in my sketchbook, then I colored them in, and then I started a big painting of Marice Bernard. After that, I made a list of the people that I wanted to paint. To start a painting, I get a picture of the celebrity on my list from the computer. I keep those pictures in a folder that is called “Mary T’s Celebrity Photo Folder” that I keep in my sketchbook.
I painted the celebrities on my list, and had my own show at LMVTC called “Celebrity Series.” I have made paintings of: Marice Benard, Sonny & Cher, Captain & Tanille, Donnie & Marie, The Carpenters, Barry Manilow, Elton John, Andy Gibb, John Denver, Katie Couric, Dick Van Dyke and Dr. Martin Luther King. I have also designed my own thank you card and tee shirt called: “We can’t risk it, save our soaps” that we screen-printed at work.
Read more about RHD's show at the Sanford Smith Outsider Art Fair, the most prestigious outsider art show in the country, and RHD's art programs for artists with intellectual disabilities
here.