Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Magenta.
Hi Mary, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Fifty years ago, I made a handmade calendar as a gift for a friend at Mercy High School in Baltimore. She loved it and the appreciation she showed jump-started my journey into art. For the next five years, I continued to make art and hand lettered calendar gifts. Then using only paper stencils, I silk-screened my first calendar! I was deep in the remote Kentucky country on The Frog Farm, using a rusty fence to air dry the prints on every page of 12 sketchbooks. I knew this was a BIG game changer because I could produce more calendars and maybe even sell them! At this time I also silk-screened cards and did some shows with my very craft happy mom. We both enjoyed those days…
31st Street Bookstore in Waverly was a feminist coop at the end, in the beginning, it was owned by women who advanced my art story. They offered a December Holidaze Bazaar and opened their shop to local artists. We expanded and I created a little “gallery” wall there. We found wonderful creatives to showcase their works of art in the bookstore. Some artists, and our many supporters who showed up for us way back in the ’80s remain dear friends. Creating community is my most favorite way to be my best human.
My art and the production of yearly calendars continued to be hand printed using silk screens. In 1994, an emergency hysterectomy prohibited that hard physical type of printing. At this time, I was also in the construction business, and my company “Women on the Level” was very popular… We showed up and cleaned up, but eventually, I closed my business to care for my mom during her hospice. The following autumn of ’95 I made a BIG move to that same hippie farm in Kentucky. At the farm I eventually moved to professional color printing of my calendars. I still handled every page while collating, binding the pages and of course I began shipping them all over the country.
After 15 years of country living, I moved to my favorite big city- Seattle WA. I stayed there 5 years, learned so much, and made friends for life. A big highlight was my association with Kubota Garden, a beautiful Seattle City park where I was a docent and eventually the artist in residence. My first collaboration calendar was in 2012 with the approval of Kubota Garden Foundation and featured 13 images I painted from the garden. I am lucky to be able to return to Seattle (usually every March) and I always make a few trips to my old neighborhood’s amazing Japanese American fusion garden. Inspiring devotion and hard work created this park and I admire the Kubota family’s determination. As much as I loved Seattle, it was very expensive, and I missed my mostly Maryland family very much. It has been a great decision to return to Maryland.
Pre covid I set up my vendor tent every weekend at Hereford Farmers Market and Baltimore Farmers Market. I really love humans and I met some great smiling ones, my art makes the happy. I enjoy sharing my art and especially like modeling “artist” behavior for younger folks. I am an avid gardener and deeply love sharing and my neighborhood enjoys the fruits of my labors!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have a different outlook now that I have so many years to be looking back on. I remember just putting one foot in front of the other and trying to learn everything I could every day and make a difference while making also making a living. Circumstances, such as the drowning death of my older brother in 1972 really derailed my expected path of college right after high school. Instead, I wandered off to roads barely traveled in Kentucky and West Virginia. There I continued to learn and helped my friends build houses and farm the land. I learned a lot about real generosity while up in the hills…the poorest among us are the sometimes the richest- because they live with compassion and offer help quickly judgement free.
At this time, I was also offered an apprenticeship in cabinet-making with my beloved grandfather in Baltimore. Wonderful years by his shoulders turned into my own home improvement company. That was satisfying but hard…HARD work and I was particularly discouraged when my tools were stolen repeatedly. As I was caring for my mom I became so impressed with hospice I decided to study grief work. At the age of 40 I moved permanently to the frog farm in Kentucky, applied for and was accepted into college! I entered Western Kentucky University and pursued a degree in geriatric social work and grief counseling.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My artwork never stops, and the production of calendars continues year after year, as I grow my mailing list of friends and supporters. Looking back now, I know that I paint where I am, and I love to travel! Indeed, my extensive portfolio is quite literally the travelog of sweet places I have visited and lived.
I learned silk screening in high school and took jobs that involved printing T-shirts. I have made and or sold easily a million t-shirts. Although I don’t do the printing any longer, but I am completely involved with a lot of merch making and sewing now. There’s a mill in North Carolina- they put my calendar art on fabric. Now I sell my art on tea towels, aprons, pillows, etc. Paintings hanging on the walls is nice- but it thrills me when my art also serves another function.
Over these many years, I have done the hard work and experienced the joy of creating dozens of art shows. Now as I prepare for the Celebration of 50 years of Art Calendars, I’m excited to share the art show DATE! September 23. 2023 from noon to three at Roland Park Community Center @ 5802 Roland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21210. It’s a great space and I am excited to be the artist that is showing in their gallery all month of September 2023.
What makes you happy? Why?
I like creating ART daily, that makes me happy.
Since the late 70’s I have been hand addressing valentines to every one of my mailing list! Lately, this is made easier through the generosity of a friend! After purchasing a painting years ago, she now yearly pads her single calendar order. She always sends extra money that I use to spread the love… this year I hand addressed and mailed 1000 valentine postcards…spreading the love is my job 1. https://marymagenta.com/
UPCYCLING…For many years now I have been turning trash into treasure. I take animal feed bags and remake them into very sturdy tote bags. Before covid I worked as a vendor every weekend and I also had interns. With their help we repurposed over 3,000 bags. These bags were hugely popular at Farmers’ Markets, and I had a regular group of friends that would come to share their empty bags with me to keep them out of the landfill.
Picture of me with bird food bag
Small steady steps toward awareness and protection of our planet makes me happy. I partnered with the great local group- Gunpowder Valley Conservancy to produce a calendar for them in 2022. Our goal was to give people the idea to hike out and get to really know and understand their watershed. We added the GPS locations of my monthly paintings and added messages about the place. I am super proud that we raised over $1,200 for them last year. Cleaning up streams and planting trees are other activities that make me happy.
600 art calendar months later, I now collect my social security, and I am pleased to still be a hard working full-time very happy artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marymagenta.com
- Instagram: magenta4058
- Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/mary.magenta/
