Mary’s devotion to light and color is evident in all of her paintings. While her work is influenced by the Impressionist palette of the Cape School of Art, her approach is less idealized and more contemporary by design. Her plein-air paintings reflect a deep commitment to capturing the exquisite drama of nature..
She has been returning to Provincetown to paint and study the Cape light every spring since 1989. Mary has had numerous solo shows and exhibitions in Provincetown, Philadelphia, and Vermont. Her work is held in private collections and museums, as well as across Europe. She makes her home in Vermont, where she lives with her husband, the sculptor John Cassin, along with their two dogs, Paris and Janet, and their cat, Seamus.
Mary studied fine art at Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts and continued her art studies with a scholarship at the University of Massachusetts. Drawn to plein-air painting, she sought out the Cape School of Art in Provincetown, Cape Cod, where she studied with Hilda Neily, John Ebersberger, and Cedric and Joanette Egeli. Today, she continues this tradition by teaching plein-air painting classes on the Cape, in Vermont, and in Italy.