Mary Haley-Rocks has always been an artist. Some of her earliest memories are associated with her love of drawing.
“Growing up in Kansas, we obviously didn’t have television. My mother gave me and my four siblings pencils and crayons and we would draw.”
It wasn’t until years later that she was introduced to painting, and it quickly became her passion. A trip to North Dakota is where it all began.
Mary and her aunt traveled there to visit a cousin, who was taking some oil painting classes, and Mary was able to attend some with her. “I learned a few basic steps and realized I was really good at it,” she recalled. She returned home from North Dakota and purchased her first art supplies.
Starting with oil painting, Mary soon discovered “flu-like symptoms” every time she worked with the oils. When she made the switch to watercolor, everything seemed to fall into place.
“There’s a freshness and ease with using watercolors, and once I started, I didn’t go back to oils.”
Finding inspiration in the sweeping open vistas of Kansas, Mary began to paint them and, to this day, those vistas are still some of her favorite things to paint.
Her father was a Navy man. That meant Mary’s family moved around, exposing her to all sorts of landscapes. “My first love was painting flowers and plants,” she explains, waving to the dozens of paintings around her dining-room-turned- studio in her Mansfield home. She has traveled extensively and, everywhere she goes, Mary photographs the scenery and the people. These photographs are added to her collection of what and who she wants to paint.
She’s been to Guatemala, Germany, Japan, London, Paris, and even got lost driving around the Swiss Alps with her sister, Karen, who is a talented photographer in her own right. With each trip, she collects more photographs, and eventually, uses them to create exquisite watercolors.
From Kansas, Mary moved to Florida for “some warm weather,” but found life there too hectic and fast. She ventured from there to Alabama, where she moved into rural Dothan. She bought a house and planned to settle down and focus on her painting.
Fate, however, had other plans for Mary. While in Alabama, she met Frank Rocks of Mansfield, who brought her to Ohio. “Frank and I were going back and forth and I finally moved to Ohio in December.” She and Frank were married on December 23 in Frank’s Mansfield home. “Things have been hectic but now I’m settled down here and ready to focus again on just painting.”
Settled now in Mansfield, Mary is getting to know the area. “I’ve met some wonderful people and am connecting with the art community. Plus, Frank has been taking me to wonderful places like Malabar Farms to get new ideas to paint.”
Over the years, Mary has perfected her craft through various classes.
Her collection is vast. In her home, there are dozens of paintings on the walls, on the floor against walls and surrounding her studio area.
Mary only just painted her first portrait in 2011 and has since painted several more, capturing incredible facial and body language detail. It is Mary’s attention to detail that is unique to her paintings.
When asked about artistic influences, she says there have been many, and several of these she has had the privilege to study under, including Robert Moyer, Peggi Habets and Rose Edin. She is also a big fan of the works of Andrew Wyeth.
Though Mary’s favorite thing to paint is still landscapes and florals, she has developed an eye for – and love of – people and pet portraits.
She is also working on a series of barn paintings which reflects the beauty of the seasons, captured around the weathered old structures.
When asked what she would like to accomplish in her work moving forward, Mary said, “I’m striving toward more freedom in painting techniques with less detail.”
“Many galleries want more contemporary watercolors – a ‘more smeary’ look,” she explained, with a laugh.
Mary’s watercolors can be seen at Artspace downtown as well as the gift shop in the Mansfield Art Center and in the Coppertop Gallery in Loudonville. Mary also has a website displaying many of her paintings at www.maryhaleypaintings.com.
