Meet Mary Wheeler

We were lucky to catch up with Mary Wheeler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mary, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Growing up in a country setting as an only child I had to be very outgoing-find friends and people to be with as well as things to do. This included adults as well as people my own age. It also pushed me to get out there, to find information, meet people, try different classes, explore more interests, etc. So giving up was not an option especially if you wanted more, which I did.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a jewelry designer; working in gold or silver with precious and semi precious stones. All designs are one-of-a-kind which I make to reflect and accentuate the personality wearing it. I love bold pieces with big stones in gold or silver to reflect the stone’s shape and intricacies. My designs revolve around the person and the stones to make a perfect balance for each.
I have recently taken that idea and was highly influence from 60’s jewelry designer Sam Kramer as well as the movie The Brutalist. Combining these two unique styles into a design series that I am very excited about. I am working mostly in Sterling Silver because of cost but can easily do the same in gold for a custom piece. I am hoping to get this new work in some galleries as well as the possibility of a history museum to echo the Brutalist as well as the Mod movement from the early 60’s of Sam Kramer. I want to share this with the new generation who may not have experienced either of these art movements.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I started teaching jewelry design for Hudson Valley Community College, teaching is the best way to hone your skills. You break down what you do, help problem solve and improve your designs while helping your students improve theirs.This had a huge impact on my journey improving my communication, design and technical skills. Another was museums, museums, museums! These are amazing sources for design, creativity inspiration, and knowledge.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Being a woman in any art field is the BIGGEST challenge we all face. I have since started a Women’s Artist Community [WAC]
with another visual artist Mary K Weeks. We have meetings every month with about 20 women/women identifying members, we talk about all issues we face with life/art balance, imposture syndrome, dry spells, etc. We support each other any way we can and help solve any problems we as female artists come across. We try to get a few group shows together each year, and spearheading this group is a honor. We are doing our best to form a space for women in the Arts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MaryWheeler.Art
• Instagram: art_mary_wheeler