Meet Mary Sterk

Welcome to my online store and gallery! This site is about the beautiful discovery of art hiding inside of me – from the building of my art studio to the paintings that I delight in creating. It is a visual tale of artistic development of a mixed media artist!

I love color. Music uplifts my soul. I can fly a small airplane. Creating beauty fuels my spirit. I own a successful financial planning firm. I believe that anyone can live a big life – a life on fire. Security, freedom, and paying it forward are my three driving values. I am a mother, grandmother, friend, daughter, girlfriend and sister to some amazing people!

Read more about my life in this article!

Proud to be have graduated from Level 1 of the Altenew Educator Certification Program!

My Core Principles

I guide my life and decisions with the following core principles:

Always Be An Inspiration

Always Create Beauty

Always Plan & Build Security

Always Be Independent

Always Live A Big, Radiant Life

Always Connect To My Self and Those I Love

My Artist Statement

 I make art because it is an extension of my soul. The creativity inside of me bubbles up in vibrant color intertwined with text. Art is my way of speaking to the world about what is in my heart and mind. Each bright and uplifting canvas is a representation of my emotions, thoughts and desire to inspire people to build a bridge towards a brighter future. I believe our radiance inspires radiance in others, and I unapologetically live a big life guiding others to grow and explore their own endless possibilities.

I begin each piece with a positive intention written in watercolor crayon. I rarely have a finished idea in mind and let the painting take shape on its own, blending colors and textures until a picture or phrase emerges in my mind. Most of the time I have at least a dozen different pieces in a state of partial completion. A day in my studio involves adding touches, layers and texture to all of them as I go. My spontaneous mixed media process involves dozens of layers, full of vibrant combinations of acrylics, inks, stamps, collage materials, sheet music, fabrics, delightful ephemera, papers, markers, watercolors, glitter, glues and specialty mediums.