Mary Sundstrom

Artist Statement

My artwork is informed by a life long investigation of the natural world.  I am drawn to the details; the pattern of fish scales, the crazy weave of a bird’s nest or the exquisite curl of a fern frond. Fish, birds, and patterns derived from plant forms are combined and reconfigured in their content and form.

The process derives the aesthetic. With the gravure technique I draw with pencil and pen on Mylar, process it onto a plate and ink it up to give a crayon-like tonal image. With monotype I can add layers of color in loose, painterly strokes. By combining a cut paper stencil I can add the sharp-edged flat silhouette effect of a relief print.

As an illustrator working in the arena of museum exhibit work and book illustration my experience is largely to render my subjects true to their natural form. As an artist and printmaker my break-through came when I realized that by combining these printmaking techniques and their respective graphic qualities could make images in a fresh, new, and interesting way.

Biography

Place of Birth: Brookings, South Dakota             

Date of Birth: 1950          

Education:

1971 Bachelors of Fine Art, University of New Mexico

Other Education:

1973-1974 Minneapolis College of Art & Design

1995-1997 Graduate Studies, University of New Mexico

Awards and Grants:

2006: Rachel Allen Printer Fellowship, New Grounds Print Workshop and Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2004-2006: Arts, Books, & Communities: National Gallery of Women in the Arts, Albuquerque Public Schools,

Albuquerque, NM

1971-1972: Tamarind Printer Fellowship, Tamarind Lithography Institute, Albuquerque, NM

Solo and Two Person exhibitions:

2008: Silhouettes: Mixed Media Prints, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2005-2006: Cut Paper Artwork, Aardvark Audiobooks, Albuquerque, NM

1987: DEL Fine Arts, Taos, NM

1987: St. Johns College, Santa Fe, NM

1980: Hands Graphics Gallery, Santa  Fe, NM

Group exhibitions:

2008: Art Expressions in Technology and Science, Los Alamos, NM

2006: Contemporary Paper Cutouts, Kimo Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2006: New Members Show, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2006: Dia de los Muertos, Broadway Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM

2006: SCBWI-NM Illustrators Fine Arts Show, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM

2005: 17^th Annual Fine Arts Show, Corrales, NM

2000: Book Illustrators Guild, San Juan College, Farmington, NM

1991: Presswork: Art of Women Printmakers, Lang Communications, Corporate Travelling Exhibition

1989: Drawing, Harris Fine Arts Center, Brigham Young University, Salt Lake City, UT

1985-1987: Celebration of Women in the Arts,

Santa Fe, NM

1985: 10 Years of Contemporary Printmaking, Stables Art Center, Taos, NM

 1978 Biennial Juried Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM

1977: Invitational, Museum of Fine Arts, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Major Collections:

AMOCO, Denver, CO

AMOCO, Houston, TX

Gallery Representation:

New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM