• “Yellow Flags in the Bog”

  Oil & Cold Wox on cradled board, 24x24x1.5"

• “Night Lights”

  Oil & Mixed Media on cradled board, 14x11x1.5"

• “Solstice”

  Oil Cold Wax on cradled panel, 5x5x1.5"

• “Through the Edifice”

  Oil & Cold Wax on panel, 5x7"

• “Apparition IV, Murmurs at Dusk”

  Oil & Cold Wax on cradled panel, 18x24x1.5

• “Whitecliff”

  Oil & Mixed Media on cradled panel, 12x12x1.5

• “Where the Light Gets In”

  Oil & Cold Wax, 24x48"

• “Luna's Draw”

  Oil & Cold Wax, 24x48"

• “Angel of the Falls”

  Oil& Cold Wax, 36 X 36"

• “Memories of Spring”

  Oil & Cold Wax on Cradled Board, 21 X 28"

• “Aura”

  Oil & Cold Wax on cradled panel, 18 X 36"

• “Where the Faeries Speak I”

  Oil and mixed media on cradled panel, 8X8"

• “Where the Faeries Speak II”

  Oil and mixed media on cradled panel, 8X8"

• “Scarf”

  Shibori dyed silk scarf, 14X72"

• “Shibori Infinity Scarf”

  Shibori dyed silk

• “Aranyani's Realm”

  Oil and cold wax on textured cradled panel, 48X48"

• “Across the Bay”

  Oil and mixed media on cradled panel, 5X5"

• “Midnight Paddle”

  Oil and Mixed media on cradled panel, 5X5"

artist bio

EDUCATION
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1992, graduated with honors
Specialization in Painting and Drawing
Secondary specialization – Fiber Arts
Bachelor of Honors Degree - Liberal Arts Studies, 1992

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Mary Mendla Fine Art and Apparel, LLC, 2012

Mary Mendla Fine Art
1996 to present
Artist
Abstracted landscape and minimalist paintings in Oil and Cold
Wax, Soft Pastel, Mixed Media and Fiber Art

Facets Fashions, www.facetsfashions.etsy.com
2003 to present
President and Founder, Lead Designer
A complete line of women’s fashions with an emphasis on
creative style and impeccable fit for all body types.

Affluere Yoga Wear
2012 to present
President and Founder, Lead Designer

Fitness apparel for Nia, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Dance, as well as
every day activities. Garments are made of Organic
Bamboo/Cotton Jersey and Eco Friendly ChitoSante’ treated
active wear fabrics.


Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
1992 - 2005
Adjunct Faculty member

Instructor of fine arts curriculum including Oil Painting, Pastel/Mixed Media
Painting, and Textile Surface Design

Cardinal Stritch University
1996 – 2004
Instructor – School of Continuing Education

Instructor of fine art techniques in Oil Painting, Pastel/Mixed Media, Textile
Surface Design and Contemporary Art History.


ARTIST RESIDENCIES AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Artist in Residence, Grafton Arts Mill, 2014
Artist in Residence, Cedarburg Cultural Center, 2011 and 2012
Cedarburg Artists Guild, Membership Chairperson, 2011 – 2014
Grafton Public Arts Board, Board Member, 2012 – present

artist statement

I am a painter, textile surface design artist, apparel designer, and art instructor.

My experience of the mystery, power and beauty of the wild places that I have been immersed in throughout my life feeds my desire to create. My paintings hint at scenes that are not quite tangible, drifting between the real and imagined. My images can slip away just as the mind begins to grasp hold of their meaning, like memories of a dream.

I feel a deep soul connection to the lakes, rivers and woodlands of the Great Lakes Region. Summers in the North Woods of Wisconsin, backpacking along the Lake Superior North Shore, and white-water canoeing in the spring runoff of melting ice and snow on the Northern Michigan Peninsula have formed my sense of wonder at the beauty and power of nature. Painting gives me a vehicle to share my experience of this landscape, and abstraction allows me to express the mystery I sense in these wild places.

My paintings are developed intuitively through multiple layers with imagery that is revealed, then partially hidden, and finally transformed to imbue deeper meaning than representational depiction can express. I work with oil paint and cold wax medium over under-paintings done in acrylic and ink. Loose pigment, soft pastel and oil sticks add depth and texture. Brushes are rarely used. Brayers, squeegees, palette knives and handmade brushes provide possibilities for mark making that enhance the abstraction of my images.

My textile work is done primarily in the techniques of Shibori, a bound resist dye process, and hand painting of dyes to create one of a kind textiles. I often combine these techniques with methods of texturing such as devore’ (burn-out) and heat treatment to create permanent three-dimensional form to enhance the color washes and patterns on my textiles.

My garments are created of natural fibers, primarily rayon jersey, linen, and silk. Styles are softly structured for comfort and appealing fit for all body types in sizes from Misses Extra-Small to Women’s 2X.

I also create 2-D fiber art and sculptural wall hangings using the techniques of Shibori and heat set texture in silk. These abstract works of art are inspired by the natural world especially water, forests and trees, and back-lit horizons.

I am a member of the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council, the League of Milwaukee Artists, the Cedarburg Artists Guild, the Milwaukee Artists Resource Network, and the Fiber Art Network.

proficiencies