Known as one of the southeastern United States’ premier portrait artists, Mary Bainton Bliss has been creating compelling and strikingly lifelike portraits for more than twenty-five years. Her works in oil, watercolor, and colored pencil are distinguished by an ability to capture the essence of a subject’s character as well as an accurate likeness of features. Her faithful rendering of details is a hallmark of each meticulously executed piece. Ms. Bliss’ subjects include corporate executives, children, university presidents in full regalia, family groupings, brides, debutantes, hunters, pets and more.
Mary’s passion for drawing people and animals began as a young child in Virginia. Her talent for capturing likenesses soon had classmates clamoring for pencil portraits. At age seventeen she entered Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts as an advanced placement student. After graduation, Mary worked as a newsroom illustrator and advertising artist in Augusta, Georgia for two years before returning to her first love of portraiture. “I consider myself tremendously blessed to be able to do what I love as a vocation. It is rewarding to bring such delight to my clients, friends and family.”