Welcome! My name is Mary Tierney, and I'm the artist who has created what you see in these pages. What is my story?

   I always said I grew up neither here nor there, meaning not urban and not rural. Suburban-ho hum. What that means to me now is that I had the best of everything because I was close to both. The city of Chicago so close with amazing museums and art, on the one hand, with regular visits to Michigan where family lived along dirt roads with creeks (cricks) and cattails. I loved these earthy things: oak trees and pine forests, lakes and rocks and stones. The forms of nature inspire me. I stand in awe of the interesting patterns and textures of tree bark, or seed pods or leaves, etc.

   I have wonderful parents who nurtured my artistic talents at an early age and took me to art lessons. My skills in drawing and painting grew, as did my desire to express more texture in my art. I was introduced to handmade paper as an art medium at the University of Colorado in Boulder (an artist's paradise). I'd seen this intriguing art form before, and one day a visiting artist demonstrated the process. That was it for me, and my art finally came off the page with the texture I'd longed for. Here's the standard I learned and adopted for my own: Make something with handmade paper (with pulp) that you could not make with paper purchased in a store.

   I have the city life now in Los Angeles, California. But, don't think I'm not finding nature all around me. I'm always stopping to study new and different forms, so exotic to me as a Midwesterner. I adore the southwest, which is evident in much of my art.

   I hope you like what you see! Please feel free to send me any comments or questions you may have about my art or my process. Perhaps we could collaborate on a commissioned piece that is custom made for your home or office.