Mary Catherine Solberg
Traditional portraiture takes on an ethereal interpretation with the incorporation of gold leaf and various other media including plaster, oil, acrylics, beeswax, layers of varnish, gems and glitter. Her signature technique produces a highly textured masterful portrait with surprising depth and luminescence.
The art incorporates aspects of religious iconography, classical realism, and her own unique style to create the large-scale paintings she refers to as everyday icons, she pulls inspiration from contemporary work influenced by religious imagery, the masters, vintage postcards, and graphics.
Mary’s icon portraits focus on a single character to capture moments of triumph, transition, enlightenment, and serenity. Dogs leap for balls, squirrels clutch their prize candy corn and swimmers savor the aquatic life, each in their own way achieving transcendence.
The studio
Casket Arts Building
The Casket Arts Community houses three of the newest renovated factory buildings in Minneapolis. The three historic structures – the Casket Arts Building, the Carriage House and the Factory, were converted to studios in 2006. The structures are stunning – aged brick, century-old wood floors, cast concrete, ancient iron, and steel. All the buildings have been beautifully restored to maintain their historic character. More than 140 artists and art-based businesses inhabit the Casket Arts Community.
