About

Mary Silver is an abstract painter whose work explores the emotional and atmospheric qualities of nature, memory, and personal experience. Working in acrylic, oil, mixed media, and cold wax, she builds layered surfaces that emphasize texture, movement, and subtle shifts in color. Her studio-based practice allows for an intuitive process in which marks and materials accumulate slowly, creating paintings that feel both expansive and intimate.

Rather than depicting specific locations, Mary’s work focuses on how places are remembered and felt. Natural forms and landscapes are distilled into abstract compositions that invite viewers to pause, reflect, and bring their own associations to the work. Emotion plays a central role in her process, guiding decisions about color, scale, and surface, and resulting in paintings that suggest mood, light, and atmosphere rather than literal representation.

Mary studied at Pratt Institute and has spent her career balancing her own studio practice with a deep commitment to arts education and advocacy. She serves as Director of Visual Arts and Instructor of Visual Arts at her school, where she works closely with young artists to develop technical skill and personal voice. She has also served as Chair of the Raleigh Arts Commission and currently serves on the Commission’s Grants Committee, supporting artists and arts organizations throughout the community.

Through both her artwork and her leadership, Mary believes in the power of art to create connection between people, places, and shared experiences.