Mary Josephson
Portland artist Mary Josephson is known for her expressive imagery of people and place. For this exhibition, Work += Play (Rites and Rituals), Josephson explores “the nature of work and the nature of play, where they intersect, how they differ and when they are the same thing.” Interspersed with these interests, she also looks to the rites and rituals of everyday life. Through paintings, glass tile mosaics and lush figurative embroidered work, she presents a cornucopia of people and experience that evoke the rich fabric of human life. The contrasting visual and tactile qualities that emerge from the variety of materials Josephson uses encourage close study and exploration of each piece.
Portland artist Mary Josephson studied in Paris, France, at the École National Superior des Beaux Arts before receiving a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She has been exhibiting her work since 1983 including shows at the Portland Art Museum, the Oregon Health Sciences University, the University of Austin in Texas, and the Bellevue Art Museum, WA. Prominent collections include Safeco, Microsoft, Oregon State University, Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital, Tacoma Art Museum, and the Portland Art Museum. Commissions include work for Southern Oregon University, the Tigard Public Library, OR, Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Portland Fire and Rescue in conjunction with RACC, OR, Oregon Food Bank, Multnomah County’s Juvenile Justice Center in Portland, OR, and the Arnold Rue Community Center, in Stockton, CA.