Mary Sullivan

Mary Sullivan grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Mary is a Bachelor of Fine Arts major with a concentration in ceramics at Salisbury University. She works with multiple mediums, including ceramics, wood, wax, slip, paints, charcoal and cast metal. Her work explores grief and the passage of time. She enjoys work that feels like it has an ephemeral quality to it. Mary is currently exploring translucent porcelain and making abstracted lamps out of various body parts and slip-fired clothing. She has also taken upper-level painting and sculpture courses to develop her unique hybrid approaches. After graduation, Mary plans to move to Baltimore and continue her own studio practice. She wants to apply to an artist residency and graduate school.   

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The loss of my mother was a very big change in my life. My work recalls familiar childhood images that carry with them memories of innocence and pain. This work serves cathartically to understand grief. My current installation, The House with the Black Dog, is comprised of old wooden windows mosaiced with broken translucent porcelain. The porcelain is the immediate fossilization of clothing dipped in slip. During the firing, the original material burns away, leaving its memory present in the porcelain. This piece reinforces the loss of not only a person but also a home.

 

The fragility of time is also significant in my work. I recall having a small musical ballerina on my dresser as a child. Before I went to bed, my mom would spin the bottom of the ballerina and it would play a lullaby. By creating work that stems from memories, the viewer gets a glimpse into a past life. This ephemeral installation, Transient, shows the decay of life. Organic materials such as wax, unfired clay and charcoal reinforce a lapse in time, because eventually everything decays but time continues.