Mary Brooking
Maine artist

About Mary Brooking
Shortly after earning a BA in Fine Art from Hiram College in 1978, Mary Brooking established herself as a nationally-award-winning magazine designer in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1997 Brooking moved to Maine with her husband, John Brooking, to begin a new dual career in fine art and motherhood. In 2002, the family settled in Westbrook, Maine.

Mary Brooking is now a mid-career full-time artist with a following throughout Southern Maine and elsewhere. Her collectors appreciate the spiritual and expressionistic direction of her landscape-inspired acrylic paintings. Her artistic vision employs reduction rather than embellishment, distilling elemental truths about the places she paints through interactive color, texture and form. Her work engages the senses of the viewer at the immediate, almost entirely intuitive, point of recognition, testing the balance between representation and abstraction.

Having exhibited her work widely in Southern Maine, as well as in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Ohio and New Mexico, Brooking accepts commissioned work and teaches acrylic painting at her arts space in Westbrook, Continuum For Creativity. She regularly exhibits her work there, as well as at Casco Bay Artisans in Portland, ME and Art 3 Gallery in Manchester, NH

Her paintings grace collections in the United States, Canada, France and New Zealand.

Prints are available through fineartamerica.com .
Here is my story. It is true.
What I've been up to.
Curriculum Vitae
Galleries
Continuum For Creativity – 863 Main Street, Westbrook, Maine – Jan 2015-present
Ocean House Gallery - 2015-present
Casco Bay Artisans - 2016-present
Art 3 Gallery - 44 West Brook Street, Manchester, New Hampshire - 2009-present
Hole in the Wall Studioworks - 2015-2018
Yarmouth Frame and Gallery - 720 U.S. 1, Yarmouth, Maine - September 2014-2016
Saccarappa Art Gallery - 861 Main Street, Westbrook, Maine - 2012-2014
Eco Home Studio - 334 Forest Ave, Portland, Maine - 2010-2014
Westbrook Art Walk – 59 Mechanic Street, Westbrook, Fourth Fridays May-November 2008
Little Sebago Gallery & Frame – 889 Roosevelt Trail, Windham Maine 04062 – 2005-2009
Elizabeth and Main – 238 Main Street, Gorham Maine 04038 – 2003-2009
Commons Art Collective – 443 Norway Maine – membership 2003-2012

Exhibits
May/June 2001 – National Christian Fine Arts Exhibition: San Juan College, Farmington NM (Juried exhibit)
July 2003 – July Show: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
February 2004 – ABC Show (Artists & Business Collaborative): Troubh Heisler Piampiano, Portland Maine (Group Invitational Exhibit)
June 2004 – “Bearings”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Solo Show)
August 2004 – August Show: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
February 2005 – ABC Show (Artists & Business Collaborative) Troubh Heisler Piampiano, Portland Maine (Group Invitational Exhibit)
April 2005 – “The April Fools”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Collaborative Show with Alan Day and Gemma Morrill-Dreher)
July 2005 – July Show: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
August 2005 – New Work: Little Sebago Gallery & Frame, Windham Maine (Group Show)
August 2005 – August Show: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
August 2005 – Art in the Park: Millcreek Park, South Portland Maine (One day festival 8/13/05)
February 2006 – ABC Show (Artists & Business Collaborative): Troubh Heisler Piampiano, Portland Maine (Group Invitational Exhibit)
June 2006 – New England Christian Arts Festival: Windham, Maine
June 2006 – Westbrook-Warren Community Art Show: Westbrook Maine (Group Show)
July-September 2006 – “Light On The Ground”: Elizabeth and Main, Gorham Maine (Solo Featured Artist)
August 2006 – August Show: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
August 2006 – Group Invitational: Little Sebago Gallery & Frame, Windham Maine (Group Show)
August-October 2006 – Artists of Little Sebago: Migis Lodge, Casco Maine (Group Invitational Exhibit)
September 2006 – Black Frame Art Show and Sale: Portland Maine 
October 2006 – “Work & Play”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Collaborative Show with Alan Day and Joanna Reese)
April-May 2007 – “10”: Little Sebago Gallery & Frame, Windham Maine (Group Show)
June 2007 – New England Christian Arts Festival: Windham, Maine
June 2007 – Westbrook-Warren Community Art Show: Westbrook Maine (Group Show)
July 2007 – Featured Artist Series: Little Sebago Gallery & Frame, Windham Maine (Collaborative show with Barbara Bagshaw)
August 2007 – “Lake Effect I”: Little Sebago Gallery & Frame, Windham Maine (Group Show)
July 2007 – “NOT Summer In The City”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
September 2007 – Black Frame Art Show and Sale: Portland Maine 
October-November 2007 – “Places”: Elizabeth and Main, Gorham Maine (Solo Featured Artist)
February-March 2008 – “Fill-In-The-Blank/Fulfillment”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
June 2008 – New England Christian Arts Festival: Westbrook, Maine
June 2008 – Westbrook-Warren Community Art Show: Westbrook Maine (Group Show)
July-September 2008 – “Lake Effect II”: Little Sebago Gallery & Frame, Windham Maine (Group Show)
June 2008 – “Remembrance”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
September 2008 – “Portage”: Harlow Gallery, Hallowell Maine (Solo Show)
September 2008 – Black Frame Art Show and Sale: Portland Maine 
February 2009 – “Paintings by Mary Brooking”: Frog and Turtle, Westbrook Maine (Solo Exhibit)
April-May 2009 – StillPoint Online Gallery: stillpointartgallery.com (Featured Art Work of the week of 5/24/2009)
June 2009 – New England Christian Arts Festival: Westbrook, Maine
May 2009 – “Why ME?”: Ameriprise Financial, South Portland Maine (Group Show)
May-June 2009 – “Horizons”: EFG Books, Bridgton Maine (Solo Exhibit)
July-September 2009 – “Lake Effect III”: Little Sebago Gallery & Frame, Windham Maine (Group Show)
September 2009 – Black Frame Art Show and Sale: Portland Maine 
March-April 2010 – “Paintings by Mary Brooking”: Dogfish Café, Portland Maine (Solo Exhibit)
April-May 2010 – “Mary Brooking: In Retrospect”: Books, Etc, Falmouth Maine (Solo Exhibit)
June 2010 – New England Christian Arts Festival: Gorham, Maine
October 2010 – “Paintings by Mary Brooking”: Gallery 302, Bridgton Maine (Solo Guest Artist Exhibit)
January-February 2011 – “The Touchprinting Show”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
March-April 2011 – “Magpie”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
May-June 2011 – “SomeThing’s UP!”: Commons Art Collective, Norway Maine (Group Show)
June-September 2011 – Still Life: Art 3 Gallery, Manchester NH
September 9, 2011 – Black Frame Art Show and Sale: Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall, Portland Maine
September 11, 2011 – “Forgive and Remember”: Westbrook Performing Arts Center, Westbrook, Maine
February, 2012 – "Snowshoes": Norway Land Trust, Norway Maine
February-July, 2012 – Selected works: Martins’ Point Healthcare, Portland Maine
June - July, 2012 - "Contemporary Landscape": Silver Circle Gallery, Putnam, Connecticut
August 2012 - beginning of ongoing rotational exhibits every six weeks at Saccarappa Art Gallery, Westbrook, Maine
February 2013 - "Winter Festival": Norway Land Trust, Norway, Maine
June-July 2013 - "Art.Works": Rivertree Gallery, Kennebunk, Maine
August - December 2013 - Selected works: True North Medical Center, Falmouth, Maine
December 2013 - February 2014 - "Small Works": Yarmouth Gallery and Frame, Yarmouth, Maine
July-August 2014 - Hole In The Wall Gallery, Raymond, Maine
July-August 2014 - "River Friends" (with Friends of the Presumpscot): Saccarappa Art Gallery, Westbrook Maine


Charity Affiliations
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts: Donation of “Tidepool” and prints to AIDS Auctions 2006, 2008, 2010
Youth Alternatives: Donation of print to “Passport to Our Future” Auction 2007
Maine Children’s Cancer Program: Donation of “Bright Spot” to “Why ME?” Auction 2009
Naples, Maine Public Library: Donation to Paddle Auction 2009
Community Bicycle Center of Biddeford, ME: 60% Donation of “A Journey” to CBC Auction 2011
Heifer International: Annual donation based on 10% of card sales through MaryBrook Graphics (ongoing)