Mary Jo is a lifelong resident of the Grand Rapids area. She is a wife and mother and grandmother and dog mom. In addition to being an artist she is a psychotherapist in private practice. She works primarily in pastels and dabbles in other media. Her journey in art has been lifelong from the time of her childhood. She studied art at Grand Valley State University and has taken numerous workshops from some of very best pastel artists/teachers to be found, including Richard McKinley, Albert Handell, Sally Strand and Nancie King Mertz. She is so drawn to the mysteries and gifts of nature and enjoys painting landscapes in pastel. She also enjoys painting portraits of humans as well as animals and cityscapes. It is the profound mystery in the everyday experience that draws her attention the most and is found in her work.