Artist Process Video Series: Mary Fedorowski’s Journey To A Finished Painting

Mary Fedorowski is a painter and muralist based in Chicago. Her sparse, colorful, and atmospheric images marry nature and architecture. She’s currently having a solo show at the Martin, which is closing November 13th. Get down there to see it if you can, and get a look at Mary’s incredible landscapes, patterns, and spaces in person. 

Mary Fedorowski’s Journey to a Finished Piece 

She starts each of her pieces in a sketchbook. It’s part of her daily sketchbook practice, where she sits down and puts ideas to paper. Mary finds it important to record as many of her ideas as she can, whether or not they end up as full-fledged pieces! When all of the ideas are collected in one place, it helps Mary work toward a final vision for a new piece. 

When Mary runs into a creative block, she likes to surround herself with new and inspirational images that can help lead her to new ideas. Recently, she’s been consulting a book of desert images as well as two books of photography of the Palm Springs area. Mary’s work often revolves around desert imagery, which she finds generative and surreal. She also loves to incorporate aspects of mid-century modern architecture for its flat planes and sharp angles. 

Next, she tries to isolate the meaning and central theme of each piece of work she starts. For Mary, intention is important to her creative process. She likes to ask herself a series of searching questions about each piece, pinning down the palette, the mood, and the backstory.