ABOUT MARY POW

My art practice is divided between two mediums: textiles and soft pastels. I create abstract, almost architectural, artworks out of fabrics that I cut and sew together. And I draw and paint using soft pastels, with a focus on portraits and nature.

I have an art studio in the historic Thorp Building in NE Minneapolis. My husband and I have three kids, three cats, and an old house we adore. ​Besides art, gardening is my favorite thing to do. I'm at my happiest when I'm making the things around me more beautiful. 

​Childhood
I grew up in rural Minnesota, on a farm that had been in my family for generations. We didn't have cows, instead we had goats, ducks, chickens, rabbits, and even honey bees. I especially loved the hay barn, where my sisters and I would swing on a long rope that hung from the rafters. The little blue desk in my room was another joy, where I would sit for hours drawing, coloring, and writing. Everything in my life was either homemade or handed down.

​Education
I loved art as a kid and I took every art class I could, but I never dreamt I could be an artist. Instead I went to school to become an architect. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Architecture from the University of Minnesota and a Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Washington, Seattle.

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