Artist Statement
Mary Lou Cerami
My mixed-media work breathes life into animals and elements of the natural world while honoring their symbolic significance and natural presence. Using vintage and reclaimed jewelry—often worn, broken, or discarded—I construct compositions that honor both the material’s former life and the subject it now inhabits. Each piece becomes an act of quiet restoration.
Animals recur as central figures: hummingbirds, owls, and mystical creatures emerge not as illustrations, but as presences. They reference instinct, resilience, and the shared vulnerability between humans and the natural world. Jewelry fragments and stones—beads, gemstones, and metal—are chosen intuitively, guided by texture, age, and patina. Their imperfections are preserved as evidence of time and use.
While the materials suggest ornamentation and excess, the compositions are intentionally restrained. Neutral grounds and carefully balanced density allow the work to sit between maximalism and stillness, inviting contemplative viewing. The tension between adornment and restraint mirrors the relationship between beauty and fragility, permanence and impermanence.
Sustainability is integral to my practice. By repurposing found and inherited objects, I aim to extend their narrative rather than erase it. The resulting works are both contemporary relics and intimate portraits—objects that ask the viewer to slow down, look closely, and consider what it means to value what has been overlooked.
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Contact
I welcome inquiries about artwork, commissions, exhibitions and yoga.
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." Thomas Merton