Mermaid

Artist: Mary Michael Shelley

Title: Mermaid, Number 7

Media: Carved Pine, Acrylic Paint

Dimensions: 16” x 9” x 3”

Date: 2011

Mary Michael Shelley graduated from Cornell where she majored in creative writing.  However, upon graduating, her father gave her a painted wood carving he created for her, which prompted her to also start carving creations.  Soon she was no longer writing, but engulfed in visual art instead.  She has had her work in major exhibitions beginning in 1978 to current, has been published in magazines and art books, and also has pieces in the permanent collections of an array of museums, such as the Smithsonian.  

“My artwork is entirely carved in white pine and then painted with acrylics. Each piece is a unique handmade original.” – Mary Michael Shelley

This sculpture is carved from pine wood and hand painted with acrylics.  This piece stands 16 inches tall and would cost a potential buyer $450.00.

The “Mermaid” carving jumped out at me because it was not the average elegantly seductive creation of a mermaid.  This artist used her expertise to craft a mermaid resting atop two rolling waves as if the ocean is her lounge chair.  Although mermaids are only fantasy in the ocean world, they are depicted quite often in ocean art.  Mermaids incorporate the world of humans and sea life, where fusing the two together create an extraordinary life form.