“…at the still point of the turning world…” - T.S. Eliot
A bed is a very special thing
A place of dreaming
Comfort
Joy
I’ve slept in a huge, antique canopy bed since I was 16
A gift from my future husband
I’ve lived much of my life in that bed
It holds my hopes and sorrows, and all my happiness under its majestic canopy
It’s the safest place I know
It’s home
The miniature beds I create echo my own
Offering a still point for your dreams under the protection of lace canopies, ancient trees and antique textiles
-Mary Becker
About the Artist
Mary Becker is a designer and mixed media artist with a focus on assemblage. Her recent work, ‘Finding True North’ will be exhibited at The BoxHeart Gallery in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania starting September 15th, 2021.
Mary has done professional design work for Disney, Jim Henson, Hasbro, Charles Shultz, Wicked Cool Toys and Alchemy II. Her work in this arena includes product design for talking toys, walk-around costume characters, children’s audio and book productions, and line extension for Intellectual Properties including Mickey Mouse, The Muppets, Talking Mother Goose, Snoopy and Teddy Ruxpin. As well, she was seminal to the creation of Teddy Ruxpin and served as president of Alchemy II for 11 years.
Additionally, she has designed kits for Bucilla and Paragon Embroidery Companies. Her ecclesiastical embroideries, created for ministers and churches, were featured in Fiber Arts Magazine. She has taught workshops in soft sculpture and fiber art throughout Southern California and Alaska. Currently Ms. Becker is an artist with Los Angeles Experimental Artists (LAEA) and teaches mixed media workshops. Her work can be seen online at www.marybeckerart.com and on Instagram @marybeckerart.
“My process begins with an inspired image or theme, and then moves into the serious, wonderful work of moving that imaginative spark into the material world. I've been at this process my whole life, beginning from about the age of five, when I could create independently with little interference.
My work is unapologetically lush, tactile, many layered. Antique and vintage textiles, jewelry, china, milagros, bits, pieces and magpie collections from many cultures find their way into my assemblages. Fragments of handwork from weavers, lace makers, jewelers, painters, quilters and embroiderers layer my pieces, and my pleasure in touching and editing their work into mine gives me a sense of the generations of artists before me who have always made beautiful things.
Working with my hands every day is necessary for my happiness, and my best days are spent in a studio filled with color and chaos. Creating an assemblage is organic, and the process takes time and thoughtfulness. I often start before coffee is fully done in the morning and I move through the making, layer by layer. Then I notice it has grown dark and it is time to eat something and I've spent 10 to 12 hours in a space of no time and no separation between me, the work and all of creation.”
Available Pieces
You can find and purchase Mary’s works through the BoxHeart Gallery, located at 4523 Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, PA, or directly through Mary. Please email for inquiries.
https://boxheartgallery.com/art-artists/all-exhibiting-artists/mary-becker/
photography by Skye Grace Bennett