Mary Moores sees paintings everywhere she looks. She paints local, everyday life to raise awareness of the overlooked beauty that every age can celebrate. From growing up in the rural countryside outside of Frederick, Maryland, she learned to value the natural landscape and the diligent work ethic of the local farming community. She obtained an art teaching degree at West Virginia University with a concentration on wheel-thrown functional pottery. The experience of producing pottery focused her attention on the marks left behind by an artist’s hand. It inspired her to later choose pastels for a medium of expression because they give her the most direct translation from pure pigments to the drawing surface. Her college experience included studying at an art school in Provence, France following in the footsteps of Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Picasso. After graduation Mary spent several stints teaching, drawing portraits, and running a successful functional pottery business until her creative efforts were invested in staying home to raise a family. As her children become more independent, she is renewing her efforts to make art.