I have loved art all of my life. Since 2011, art has been the center of my life.

I started creating art in the 1970’s while I was pursuing a career in the aerospace industry. I took an adult class in clay sculpture and discovered my right brain – a welcome discovery for someone who had spent her life until then in a highly left-brain environment. I moved from working in clay to working in wax which can be cast directly in bronze. I moved from creating realistic sculpture to an abstract style, heavily influenced by Henry Moore. I found a foundry in Venice, California and became friends with the owner, also a sculptor. He let me do finishing work on my cast bronzes and I started to learn the basics of the casting process.

After retirement from my aerospace job, I continued creating art, but it was still a part time activity. During a period when it was hard to get my work cast, I did some painting but returned to sculpture when I moved to Santa Barbara in 2002 - first in a ceramics class in Adult Education then in a bronze casting class at Santa Barbara City College. I cast and finished my own work there for over 8 years. I can still recall the excitement of my first bronze pour – and also the amount of work it takes to move from rough casting to finished piece. My time at SBCC left me with a deep respect for the physical work involved and a clear understanding of why casting at a foundry is so expensive. Finally, in 2011, I made a big decision – I decided to define myself as an artist. This is a decision I have never regretted.

While I continue to create sculpture, I am also exploring acrylic painting. I am drawn to bold colors and simple forms – sometimes related to landscapes or figures, sometimes totally abstract.

My art has appeared in many local venues. I have exhibited as a member of the Santa Barbara Art Association, the Abstract Art Collective, the Santa Barbara Sculptors Guild and the Santa Barbara Visual Artists. I have shown at the Glenn Dallis Gallery, the C Gallery, and the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. I was a founding member of 10 West Gallery in downtown Santa Barbara and I am a member artist at the La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts Illuminations Gallery in La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara.

Website: marydeethompson.com

Email: [email protected]

Cell phone: 510-710-6618