Raised by two artists in the art-minded and culturally-eclectic community of Santa Fe, Mary Alayne Thomas developed her creative abilities early on, illustrating children’s magazines by the age of twelve. She has studied art extensively at the University of New Mexico and under personal tutors in Santa Fe, Corrales and Seattle. She has also taken plein air classes in San Miguel de Allende and Arles, France. Her mastery of drawing and painting techniques are the starting point of her distinctive ability in the combination of varied art materials. Mary’s curiosity about diverse mediums has taken her into previously unknown territories. She was initially taken with the luminosity and versatility of watercolor. She has since gone on to incorporate encaustic, gold leaf, India Ink, pencil and silkscreen. The artwork begins as a watercolor which is then coated with encaustic (beeswax combined with resin). The media are layered between the wax washes. The result is an unusual depth, a three-dimensional artwork with an emphasis on Mary’s unique stylized patterns and shapes and textures. There is a delicacy and softness to her art that emanates from the layering of art forms within the waxy surface, resulting in paintings imbued with luminosity and translucent depth. Mary has been featured in shows nationwide, including New York, Seattle, Portland and several in her home state of New Mexico. Select Juried and Invitational Exhibitions Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Michigan 2008 International Small Works Show, Emerald Gallery, Fairfield, Iowa 2008 Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, Colorado 2007 Solo Show, Mariposa Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2007 Two-Person Show, Center Space Gallery, Portland, Oregon 2006 Solo Exhibit, Frank and Dunyas Gallery, Seattle, Washington 2006 “Encantada”, Expo New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2006 Painted Violin Auction, El Paso Symphony, El Paso, Texas 2005 Masterworks of New Mexico, 2007 & 2008 Taos National Exhibition of American Watercolor, Taos Art Museum’s Historic Nicolai Fechin House 2005 Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, National Arts Club, New York City, New York 2005 Solo Exhibition, Frank and Dunyas Gallery, Seattle, Washington 2005 Solo Exhibition, Kindred Circle Gallery, Edmonds, Washington 2003