Growing up in the idyllic Vermont countryside, Mary was encouraged by family and teachers to be an artist.
At 18, Mary moved to Boston to study graphic design at the Massachusetts College of Art. The lure of her peaceful country home was too much and she returned to open an organic coffee and tea house with her brother. “Coffee, tea and cafe culture has always been a great passion to me, as it tends to bring communities and fellow artists together for conversations and the bouncing of bold ideas.” Today, Mary is known for working in a variety of media and styles from illustrative to classic and more. Working outside surrounded by nature comes naturally, and she can often be found standing or sitting under a giant maple tree working on her next collection.
Q&A With Mary Urban
1) Who are your biggest influences and why? How do they affect your work?
My first instinct was to answer “everybody!” Unfortunately, I can’t seem to narrow it down enough without eventually hearing the Oscar music creeping up, telling me to wrap it up. I live in a very creative and supportive community. I can’t go to the store without seeing a teacher, friend or mentor who has taught or encouraged me at some point. My biggest motivation is to put to all that love to good use and when I can, pay it forward.
2) What is the one thing you haven’t painted or drawn that you would love to and why?
I’m very grateful to work in an environment where we can create a lot of our own concepts. My favorite thing to draw is, and always has been, other people’s suggestions. There’s something deeply satisfying about hearing someone say “That’s exactly what I was picturing”. I do enjoy drawing animals and watching their personalities develop. I’m guilty of giving them little voices and backstories in my mind. I wouldn’t mind painting a cheese diagram, possibly with puns. That could brie pretty grate!
3) What would your perfect art studio look like and where would it be?
A yurt with a deck and a Bose radio. I love the look of paint-covered studio floors and spaces where messes are encouraged. No matter how nice of a desk I’ve built or picturesque plein air picnics I’ve set up for myself, I always end up dragging everything onto a floor in the middle of a room and making a mess. My dream space would have tons of windows and double doors, plants, floor cushions and maybe a college mini fridge. I would have a huge mac on a wheel cart with tons of extension cords. I can’t think of anything more decadent than wheeling a big desktop onto a porch at dusk on a nice summer night
MARY URBAN’S ART
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Title: Lovely Llamas Pattern III
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 42945 - a SID22845NRTitle: Lovely Llamas Pattern III
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22845NRSKU: 42945 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Lovely Llamas Pattern VIII
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 42950 - a SID22845NRTitle: Lovely Llamas Pattern VIII
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22845NRSKU: 42950 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Vintage Sailing Knots VII
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 33544 - a SID22272NRTitle: Vintage Sailing Knots VII
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22272NRSKU: 33544 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Vintage Sailing Knots VIII
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 33545 - a SID22272NRTitle: Vintage Sailing Knots VIII
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22272NRSKU: 33545 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Ocean Friends IV
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 35250 - f SID22466NRTitle: Ocean Friends IV
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22466NRSKU: 35250 - fAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Ocean Friends V
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 35251 - f SID22466NRTitle: Ocean Friends V
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22466NRSKU: 35251 - fAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Happy Place
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 37226 - a SID22688NRTitle: Happy Place
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22688NRSKU: 37226 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Lovely Llamas II
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 38793 - a SID22845NRTitle: Lovely Llamas II
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22845NRSKU: 38793 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Lovely Llamas Mandala II
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 38798 - a SID22845NRTitle: Lovely Llamas Mandala II
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22845NRSKU: 38798 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Retro Cassette Gray
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 20848 - a SID18637Title: Retro Cassette Gray
Artist: Mary UrbanSID18637SKU: 20848 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Retro Record Player Gray
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 20851 - a SID18637Title: Retro Record Player Gray
Artist: Mary UrbanSID18637SKU: 20851 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Garden Friends III Giggle
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 29214 - a SID21518NRTitle: Garden Friends III Giggle
Artist: Mary UrbanSID21518NRSKU: 29214 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: A Ladle of Love
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 25576 - a SID20531RWTitle: A Ladle of Love
Artist: Mary UrbanSID20531RWSKU: 25576 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Polar Friends III Black Border
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 35653 - f SID22167NRTitle: Polar Friends III Black Border
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22167NRSKU: 35653 - fAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Polar Friends I Black Border
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 35651 - f SID22167NRTitle: Polar Friends I Black Border
Artist: Mary UrbanSID22167NRSKU: 35651 - fAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Beer Dogs II
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 31066 - d SID21755NRTitle: Beer Dogs II
Artist: Mary UrbanSID21755NRSKU: 31066 - dAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Beer Dogs III
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 31067 - d SID21755NRTitle: Beer Dogs III
Artist: Mary UrbanSID21755NRSKU: 31067 - dAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Mythical Map II
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 30733 - a SID21856NRTitle: Mythical Map II
Artist: Mary UrbanSID21856NRSKU: 30733 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: Mythical Map III
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 30734 - a SID21856NRTitle: Mythical Map III
Artist: Mary UrbanSID21856NRSKU: 30734 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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Title: A Dash of Kindness
Artist: Mary UrbanSKU: 25575 - a SID20531RWTitle: A Dash of Kindness
Artist: Mary UrbanSID20531RWSKU: 25575 - aAll of our in-stock prints are printed on premium 80 lb cover paper.Buy Prints add to portfolio copy product linkview collectionmust be signed in for these actions
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