Work samples

  • Book Flowers
    Book Flowers

    Book pages, painted with watercolor, and collaged.

  • See Butterfly
    See Butterfly

    Collaged book pages

  • Lava Lamp
    Lava Lamp

    Collaged book pages, gouache

  • Upward Swoosh
    Upward Swoosh

    Collaged book pages, gouache

About Mary

Mary Rayme is a Maryland Institute College of Art graduate living in Parkville, Maryland. As an artist and librarian, she is inspired by the printed word, nature, paper, color, light, and shape. As a paper hoarder, her primary medium is collage.

Button Portraits

The button portraits grew out of my obsession with old buttons. I love how unique and interesting the shapes and colors are-- like little gems of industrial design. I started by cutting out pieces of patterned collage paper, gesso-ing a center spotlight, and then trying to recreate each button as a hovering object in that space using pencil and colored pencils.

  • Red Sun Button
    Red Sun Button

    Paper, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Wooden Flower Button
    Wooden Flower Button

    Paper, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Yellow Flower Button
    Yellow Flower Button

    Paper, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Green Saucer Button
    Green Saucer Button

    Paper, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Orange Flower Button
    Orange Flower Button

    Collaged paper, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Red Spiral Button
    Red Spiral Button

    Collaged paper, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Blue Diamond Button
    Blue Diamond Button

    Collaged paper, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Two-Tone Green Button
    Two-Tone Green Button

    Collaged book pages, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Black and White Button
    Black and White Button

    Collaged book pages, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

  • Nude Button
    Nude Button

    Book page, gesso, pencil, colored pencil

Collage, Gesso, Colored Pencils

These collages evolved out of my love of stripes and artist Alma Thomas. I wanted to emulate her staccato brushstrokes and use them to create playful patterns. Some of the other artworks are birds-eye photographs that I have added gesso to and drawn on top with colored pencils.

  • Alma Thomas
    Alma Thomas

    Collaged book pages, gesso

  • Green Elephant
    Green Elephant

    Collaged book pages, gesso

  • Red Stripe Landscape
    Red Stripe Landscape

    Collaged book pages, gesso

  • Michelangelo Terracotta
    Michelangelo Terracotta

    Collaged book pages, gessol

  • Rainbow Seuss
    Rainbow Seuss

    Collaged book pages, gesso

  • Christo Glow
    Christo Glow

    Collaged book pages, gesso, colored pencil

  • Meander Rainbow
    Meander Rainbow

    Collaged book pages, gesso, colored pencil

  • Rainbow River
    Rainbow River

    Collaged book pages, gesso, colored pencil

  • Rainbow Rug
    Rainbow Rug

    Collaged book pages, gesso

  • Teal Palace
    Teal Palace

    Collaged book pages, gesso

Drawing over Collaged Comic Books and Books

As a way of paying homage to my favorite comic books, I started cutting up one-inch squares, re-arranging them, and drawing on top of them. I also used colorful illustrations from old books in the same way.

  • Green Richie Rich Starburst
    Green Richie Rich Starburst

    Comic books, colored pencil

  • Donald Duck Flower
    Donald Duck Flower

    Comic books, colored pencils

  • Hot Stuff Flower
    Hot Stuff Flower

    Comic Books, colored pencils

  • Richie Rich Starburst
    Richie Rich Starburst

    Comic books, colored pencil

  • Archie Flower
    Archie Flower

    Comic books, colored pencil

  • Richie Rich Starburst
    Richie Rich Starburst

    Comic books, colored pencil

  • Tiny Tim
    Tiny Tim

    Collaged book pages, ink

  • Purple X
    Purple X

    Collaged book pages, pen

  • Eye Scape
    Eye Scape

    Collaged book pages, ink

  • Big Buck Flower
    Big Buck Flower

    Drawing on top of old book page.

Journal Entry Collages

Many times I create collages as a daily journal entry. I often return to collaging and drawing or painting on top of aerial photographs or images from art history.

  • Rising Up
    Rising Up

    Collaged old books, gesso

  • Ripple Car Park
    Ripple Car Park

    Collaged paper and old books

  • Waving Hello
    Waving Hello

    Collaged paper, old book pages, gesso

  • Watercolor Moon
    Watercolor Moon

    Old book pages, watercolor

  • XOX Diamond
    XOX Diamond

    Collaged paper, ink, gesso, colored pencils

  • Undulating Shapes
    Undulating Shapes

    Collaged book pages

  • River Landscape Dots
    River Landscape Dots

    Collaged book pages, gesso, ink, colored pencils

  • River Flags
    River Flags

    Paper, gesso

  • Color and Symmetry
    Color and Symmetry

    Paper and old book collage

  • Angel Tea Cups
    Angel Tea Cups

    Collaged old books

Random Journal Entry Collages

These are random collages from journal entries.

  • Map Sun
    Map Sun

    Paper, ink

  • Free
    Free

    Collaged paper

  • Abstract Portrait
    Abstract Portrait

    Collaged paper

  • Jesus' Shoes
    Jesus' Shoes

    Paper collage

  • img041_0.jpg
    img041_0.jpg

    Book pages, gesso, ink, colored pencil

  • Double Spiral
    Double Spiral

    Collage

  • Lost River Spiral
    Lost River Spiral

    Collaged book pages

  • Cream Spiral
    Cream Spiral

    Collaged book pages.

  • Singer Aff
    Singer Aff

    Collaged paper.

  • Black, White, and Red
    Black, White, and Red

    Collaged book pages.