Originally from the island of Malta, Mae moved to Virginia in 2019 after more than 40 years in Texas, and currently resides in Augusta County, a short distance south of Staunton. She thinks it was probably the beauty of this valley that inspired her to buy her first set of acrylics late in 2020 and start dabbling. Soft pastels were added to her repertoire a year later and she loves both mediums.
Not having any formal art instruction aside from a couple of elective art classes in college, her relatively new identity as self-taught working artist is constantly evolving. She is drawn mostly to impressionistic landscape art, but is often lured by other subject matter and painting styles, so much so that her exhibits sometimes resemble those featuring multiple artists rather than solo shows.
Mae was awarded First Place in painting at the 2022 Fall Foliage Art Festival in Waynesboro, Second Place in painting at the All Media Juried Show at Crossroads Art Center in Richmond later that year, and Third Place in a Members’ Judged Show at the Shenandoah Valley Art Center in 2023. In addition to local outdoor art festivals, Mae’s art can be also be seen at the Shenandoah Valley Art Center in Waynesboro, the Rockfish Valley Gallery in Afton, and at the Cabell Gallery for Virginia Art in Lexington, where she was the featured artist during July 2023. New works are regularly added to her website and FB page.
