Mary Porterfield

Chicago, Illinois

My drawings on layered, translucent paper are inspired by my mother’s struggle to care for my father who has Parkinsonism.  The life-sized images, which are cut out and mounted to the wall, represent the substantiality of their difficulties and resilience.  The trays are used as architectural elements to support my father as he walks, confining his small steps within their framework.  My mother bears the sole weight of his mobility, both literally and metaphorically.   Painting on translucent paper allows me to progressively layer my parent’s struggles and that which is outwardly hidden. Each wall represents a stage from my parent’s lives and their desire to overcome and persevere.

Mary Porterfield has exhibited both nationally and internationally at venues including the Lim Lip Museum in South Korea, the Phoenix Art Museum, the San Diego Art Institute, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Kohler Arts Center, the Dubuque Art Museum, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, the Rockford Art Museum, and the Weatherspoon Museum.  Solo shows have included the Hofheimer Gallery (Chicago, IL), the Packer-Schopf Gallery (Chicago, IL), Indiana University-NW (Gary, IN), the University of Illinois (Urbana, IL), and the West Valley Art Museum (Surprise, IL).  Honors include three Illinois Artist Council Grants, a City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Grant (DCASE), a Puffin Foundation Grant, and three Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program Grants.  Porterfield teaches at Northeastern Illinois University and received an MFA from Arizona State University.  She is represented by the Hofheimer Gallery in Chicago, IL.

10th Anniversary Message

Something I’ve learned:

Start thinking of the painter you want to be 10 years from now and work that way now.

Pushing Back the Sea, Part 1

2020, oil on layered Dura Lar, 73 x 80 in., courtesy of the Hofheimer Gallery

Pushing Back the Sea, Part 2

2020, oil on layered Dura Lar, 80 x 57 in., courtesy of the Hofheimer Gallery

Pushing Back the Sea, Part 3

2020, oil on layered Dura Lar, 90 x 66 in., courtesy of the Hofheimer Gallery

Pushing Back the Sea, Part 4

2021, oil on layered Dura Lar, 72 x 102 in., courtesy of the Hofheimer Gallery