about Mary Weil
Don't wait to try
Mary Weil grew up in Kansas, looking at big wide landscapes, subtle colors, and a lot of sky. She inherited her father's artistic talent, taking art courses in college with a focus in textiles. The travel bug took her to many parts of the world, including two years in Costa Rica in the Peace Corps, eventually settling down with family and husband on 40 acres near Dundee, Oregon in 1981. Raising two children and helping run an international nursery business with her husband made life pretty complete, but Mary always hoped that the artistic side would get a chance to thrive.
In 2007, she took a pastel painting class with Marla Baggetta, and was taken by the colors, the possibilities in mark making, and the joy of plein air landscape painting. She packed her pastels on trips throughout the NW, to national parks and Europe, to paint by herself. Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, the Columbia River Gorge, or the verdant valleys of western Oregon all call to her. The vibrant colors of the pastel medium, when combined with Mary’s love of drawing as well as painting, continue to challenge and captivate her.
Mary has studied with Marla Baggetta, Susan Day, Susan Ogilvie, Kim Casebeer, Brenda Boylan, Michael Chesley Johnson, Richard McKinley, Albert Handell, Diana Sanford, and Barbara Jaenicke and Jen Evenhus, Liz Haywood Sullivan ( Venice), Susan Kutzinsky, Tony Allain
These exceptional artists are generous Mentors, and their dedicated expertise, friendship, and encouragement continue to be enormous resources of inspiration and learning.
The Quarantine of 2020-21 provided ample time to dig into Oil painting. After almost an entire year of mentoring online with Kim Casebeer learning oils, she now feels the pull to either medium for studio and plein air painting.
Shows
2015 Solo show at the Chehalem Cultural Center Newberg, Oregon
Annual Lavender Festival of Yamhill Valley Plein Air Honorable Mention, Pro
Wallowa Valley Arts Festival, participating in the Plein Air and Quick Draw Joseph, OR
2020 Il Chirostro Online 25th Anniversary Art in Italy Show
2025 Il Chirostro 30th Anniversary Show, Salmagundi Art Club, NYC NY. Sept. 6-12,2025
Memberships
Signature Member, Northwest Pastel Society
Pastel Artists of Oregon
Gallery Representation
Currents Gallery, McMinnville OR
You may also view her work in her studio near Dundee, Oregon, or on this website.
