MaryLea Harris, Artist

MaryLea is a full-time visual artist specializing in painting, mixed media, sculptural books, and fiber arts. She and her husband have a passion for real estate, they are the co-owners of Central Oregon’s original net zero, green custom home builder, Solaire Homebuilders. When she’s not meeting with clients to plan their dream homes, she can be found designing and renovating beautiful vacation rental homes or in her studio painting!

She is a parent, educator, and published author. With over 20 years in the field of Arts Education, MaryLea has authored multiple art lesson ebooks for teachers and caregivers of children, available for download in her shop.

She was the founder of Pink and Green Mama, an award-winning arts and crafts website for parents of young children. She wrote articles and developed freelance crafts and activities for magazines and websites. Some of her well know clients include Family Fun Magazine, Disney, Elmer’s Glue, Melissa and Doug, and PBS Parents.

She holds degrees in Studio Art and Art History where she graduated magna cum laude from Sweet Briar College with an emphasis in painting and printmaking. She holds an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in painting and has been selling her original artwork to collectors throughout the United States since 1998. MaryLea Harris also serves as an art group facilitator for corporate and non-profit office groups. Her laid-back personality, experience with teaching and love of color brings a sense of play and connection to each group she works with.

She was a featured artist in Cascade A&E’s April 2015 and February 2017 issues, a Harry D. Forsyth Fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and has work in the permanent collection at Sweet Briar College. She created a performance art piece at the 2015 TEDxBend event and displayed her work at TEDxBend ‘16 and ‘17. MaryLea was the featured artist for Simplicity Homes during the COBA Tour of Homes ’15, '16 and '17 Tours. She has exhibited her work at multiple galleries including the Lubbesmeyer Art Studio/Gallery, LUMIN Gallery, City Walls at City Hall, the Betty Gray Gallery at Sunriver, Natural Edge Furniture, Franklin Crossing, the Ellipse Arts Center, and the Lee Arts Center.

In 2017, MaryLea was commissioned by Deschutes Brewery to paint a series of four snowflake paintings for their 30th Anniversary Jubelale beer labels. She was the first artist to ever create more than one piece of art for their seasonal label. MaryLea is an active member of the Central Oregon art community. She created and donated a large painting for the lobby of the Humane Society of Central Oregon animal shelter. She was the youngest member of the High Desert Art League. MaryLea served as the co-group organizer for the Women’s Artist Group of Bend with PNW designer and artist Lisa Sipe. She also worked with a group of women artists led by Karen Ruane on Rise&Art, a grant fund for emerging female artists. She teaches art workshops for women locally and shows her work regularly at First Friday events throughout Bend.

MaryLea also believes in giving back to her local Central Oregon community. She and her family foster kittens (and an occasional bunny!) for the Humane Society of Central Oregon. They also donate their time to the Giving Plate food bank, cook meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House, and support First Story, a local non-profit that provides affordable housing assistance. She has donated artwork to the annual fundraiser for the Bend Chamber Music Orchestra and raises money for HSCO at their annual holiday craft show.

She created the MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in the Arts - a $2,500 scholarship awarded annually to a graduating female senior in Central Oregon from Deschutes, Crook, or Jefferson County planning to study art, arts management, or arts education in college. These LGBTQ inclusive scholarships are funded from a percentage of all her sales.

MaryLea relocated from Northern Virginia to the Pacific Northwest in 2013, where she lives with her husband and two teenage daughters. She spends her days in a sunny art studio in Bend, Oregon where she is kept company by her four rescue cats: Hazel, Charlie, Toast and Danny.

Click here to visit my ETSY shop.
Contact: studiomaryleaharrisart@gmail.com

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