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Mary Virginia Hill

I was born an abstract expressionist. I grew up in Shreveport and received my earliest training from my mother, Artist Jerry Wray. After spending two years in the B.F.A. program at Newcomb College of Tulane University in New Orleans, I went on to complete a B.A. in studio art at Hunter College, City University of New York. Finally, I earned a M.F.A. in painting and photography at the University of Alabama.In my early career, I was a represented artist at the Lower Mill Gallery and the Austin Harvard Gallery in Rochester, NY, both of which have since closed. I moved back to Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1985, and began showing my work in juried shows at Centenary College. Since then, I have exhibited with Louisiana Artists, Inc., beginning when their shows were still at the Barnwell Center. I continue to show my work with them as well as the Hoover Watercolor Society at various venues, including the Norsworthy Gallery. For many years, I designed and facilitated adult art education projects at the Red River Revel. These include tile mosaic murals and benches in the Red River District and Festival Plaza. I have also taught painting classes for children at the Renzi Center’s after-school program and the Meadows Museum of Art’s summer camp. I have participated in every Artport Exhibition and shown at ArtSpace (with mom, Jerry Wray). My work is included in private collections in Shreveport-Bossier; Baton Rouge; Dallas; Houston; Jackson; Birmingham; Sausalito; Rochester; Dundee, OR; Mountain Home, AR; Saudi Arabia; Destin, FL; and the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan. I have sold my paintings at the Bailey Gallery in a solo show, at the Shreveport Downtown Artwalk, and at the BizArt “Gathering of Artists”. I was invited and glad to accept a position as an evaluator for the Louisiana Talented Arts Program, as well as the responsibility of being a juror for several shows. In 2019, I was named a “Collectible Artist” by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. My production increased when Jerry Wray invited me to participate in her weekly studio workshop, and I am enjoying the prolific opportunities for showing in Shreveport-Bossier. I have been working mainly with liquid acrylics in the last several years, using yupo paper, canvas, and innovative techniques in “process painting”.
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