Chasing the Light and Painting the Truth

Mary Monk has been an award winning professional artist for over twenty years. Her work can be found in a myriad of public and private art collections including permanent art collections belonging to St. Tammany Parish and the state of Louisiana. She has appeared in numerous magazines such as: Plein Air Magazine, Pastel Magazine, Louisiana Life Magazine, New Orleans Art Review Magazine, St. Charles Magazine and Inside Northside Magazine. She received the majority of her artistic training through classical drawing lessons but is a self taught pastelist. She is an active member of the Degas Pastel Society and the Pastel Society of America . 

Monk’s primary medium is pastel and she is mostly known for her country/urban landscapes. No matter the subject, mood and light are always the true focus of her paintings. Her choices of color and subject matter are heavily influenced by growing up in the city and moving to the country to raise her family. The transition of urban to country sparked an infinite pool of inspiration for the artist. The majority of her paintings are scenes done en plein air.

Mary Monk grew up in New Orleans but has been living in Abita Springs with her husband and four children for the past twenty years. She is represented by LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans, Rita Durio and Associates in Lafayette, Louisiana and Merchiston Hall Gallery in Biloxi, Mississippi.