About the Artist

Every creation bares that daunting question of why? Why such beauty, art, or sound is summoned? For what purpose does it serve and where did it come from? One pure talent of whom bears unfathomable inspiration. Her creations will make you ponder onto just the superficial. With all these emotional rationales have been gathered over the years, let us get to know the artist beyond the ART.

Mary Yamine was born in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on the fall of October 12. At just 6 years old, the family moved to Paris where Mary's father became consumed with design concepts of leather, textiles and artisanal crafts. It is at this young age that she was introduced to the gates of creativity, textures and a grand color palette Discovery of art started in France, Paris walking the streets, exploring the paintings she saw at the museums and connecting with every monument, statue and sculpture. Searching for a better opportunity, the family then moved to New York, Manhattan and finally found a home and settled in California, North Hollywood. She suddenly found herself immersed into diversities and rich cultures. At that time, her family was working on leather, adding another facet of texture to Mary's perspectives. The changes in environment, varied ethnicities, language differences all contributed to her shift in thought and perspective.

After 3 years of living in the United States, her parents decided that it is high time to go back to her roots, Lebanon. On top of being separated from her parents at a young age. Awakened to a new reality. She found herself in the middle of Lebanon's Civil War, living in dark shelters, lit by a small candle light. Fear, anger, love and hope all lingering in her every breath. A grueling 3 years passed and finally, she was reunited with her parents and a new sibling of whom she has never met. 1992 marked a complete family life for her back in Abu Dhabi. After years of travelling and moving from country to another. Mary has become a perfect vessel carrying an array of amazingly pretty and colorful stories from all cultures, ethnicities, timeline and geography.

She studied interior Architecture in the Emirates but found herself wanting something more meaningful to her at that time. Two beautiful blessings, her children. Finally, after extensive traveling she settled in Lebanon, she could not resist but not return to university LAU to complete her degree in Fine Arts, where her passion originally all started from in the first place. Least to say, in continuous search of knowledge and inspiration. Yet, remains in confrontation between rational, logic and passion.

She imbibed within her that awareness to feel and that openness to sense all aspects of human emotions and moods in any way or form. All throughout her journey, she has blossomed into this artist who doesn't have a singular affinity towards a specific culture, or background but rather openness towards a more diverse and inclusive of a community of thought, mindset, and emotion. She is connected to everything and yet, in realization what is a connection?

Painting for Mary is like a dream she has no control over. Each of her brush strokes adds up to her lightest touch, a story is being told. The contours, the highlights and the shades she uses, shapes the narrative that she wishes to convey, each of the lines she caresses is like a prose, a poetry of time and space wherein everything is at a standstill. Accompanied with music just to enrich her transition from one moment to the next.

Mary's Paintings depicts a sense of question, that doubt in a human's sense of being. It clearly embodies the duality of life and the phases that an individual experience throughout their existence. Just like an oblivious innocent child throwing a rather complicated question, Mary's paintings always tend to beg a question. But at the same time, as ironic as it is, her paintings bring forth along an answer deep seated in each specific stroke or shade. Every single one of her paintings, embody layers upon layers of colors, each of them alive, breathing and morphing into a story. Painting for her is an out of body experience. It is her, conversing with the universe and connecting with her Creator.