The Art Fairy

Mary Lee Mattison – Children’s Book Author and Illustrator.
Description: A Work in Progress…
Biography: Definitely the Artistic type: Shares a birthday with Elvis Presley, David Bowie and Stephen Hawking. (Boy, if that isn’t a descriptive, DNA, Mary triad!) Profoundly… Witty, Clever, Confident, very Intelligent (wicked smart) and a constant stream of fascinating conversation. I can be fun and childlike or dark and brooding (I like a nice mix [sic])

I Love, any and all forms of, Imagination and Creativity, in any conceivable medium- I, for one, thought the gargantuan, mashed potato sculpture that Richard Dreyfuss (Well, Stephen Spielberg, or his peons really) created for the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind made the whole obsessive/compulsive ‘I’ve got something stuck in my head’ Artist conundrum visual. Well, that’s just a totally random example. Like I said ‘Imagination and Creativity in any conceivable medium’ !!

I am an original flower child of the 1960’s. I still dance “Barefoot with Patti Smith” garland of flowers in my hair; have my long diaphanous white lace dress, gigantic paisley shawl and self-loomed, beaded, Hippie jewelry.

My curiosity and wild Irish imagination are boundless. My walls are covered with ART of all kinds; Including my own vivid, cartoon-ish, original, ultra-stylistic, water color and ink paintings- My son once described at 10 years old as my ‘Freakin’ Acid Hippie Pictures’. Bless him! Peter is now 32 and an important Geek Prime. I also have a stunningly, brilliant, gorgeous daughter, Melanie. Martha Stewart wishes she had her innate style and panache! And don’t even get me started talking about the blossom of my being, my Granddaughter sweet Miss Tessa Rhiannon. We’re gonna hear tons more about her in future the Art Fairy ‘Kids and Art’ posts. (…I’ll find a perfect picture.)

I love to read and study EVERYTHING: Children’s literature, especially Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends, Neolithic Archeology, Science Fiction and Fact (I’m working my way through the entire Desmond Morris catalog of modern, cultural Anthropology at the present.) I embrace all Art through the Ages, particularly the Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionism, Abstract expressionism (I really do get Jackson Pollock) 60’s Psychedelic poster art and whatever I might happen upon tomorrow. I live across the street from a Library where I have acquired gabillions of frequent reader miles.

I am a full time Children’s Book Writer, Graphic Artist/Illustrator and impressive Computer genious? No, no now that’s not right…jean-yis? (Sound it out Mary…umm, ge-en-yus? Ya, that’s it genius!)

That all is, of course, when I’m not chasing after some intriguing new object to inspect or collect! Some of my recent favorites are:
Opalescent, blue,French, Art Glass; dazzling, Vintage, pageant Crowns, Antique (very, very used) twisted Brooms, early Peter Max items-I have many 1970’s pots and pans (I’m still working on collecting up the complete 8 piece Peter Max Dinner set-Each 6 piece place setting is a different Peter Max design.) All the original Dr. Seuss books and items (No I don’t, yet, have an original first edition of The Cat and the Hat, but I’m certainly looking!) Frank Frazetta, the greatest Science Fiction Illustrator of all time! (He once asked his wife, concerned at current criticism, “Do I make my women’s butts too big? “No Frank! We all aspire to be your, heroic, feminine visions) Did I mention I also collect antique Fairytale books… More on all that later…to be continued.