Artist Statement
My concern as an artist has been in the observation of line, light, color, and movement in the routines of daily life and then translate that moment into a visual statement. Daily common iconography and the natural world holds enduring interest for my inspiration. The art becomes a daily journal of sorts. My guiding principle is rooted in following my source of curiosity, doing the work, and allowing it to lead me.
Biography
Mary Lee Rybar is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, and lifelong maker of things. Sparked with an appreciation of all things handcrafted and unique, her work ranges from abstract to representational, working in various disciplines and mediums. Attending Kent State University and the American School of Paris, graduating with a BA in English, she traveled and worked as a flight attendant. This afforded her extensive opportunities for photographic essay and experiencing different cultures. As an adjunct to her career and family life, she created Hunter Designs, producing hand-painted linens for a small stable of retailers. She is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant in Printmaking and an invited Fellow at the Vermont Studio Center. Her work has been exhibited at the Sawtooth Museum for the Arts in Salem, NC, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Williams-Sonoma, Gumps of San Francisco, Vanderbilts St. Helena, Halls of Kansas City, Chateau Sonoma, and H Frank on the Historic Sonoma Plaza. After spending many years in the travel industry, she is now grounded and devoted to working in her studio in Sonoma, California. She continues to use everything as a foundation for an artful life.