Mary Chiaramonte

Born in 1979, Mary Chiaramonte spent her youth helping her family survive from their farm and land in an isolated area. She had no television or other modern distractions, and was encouraged to entertain herself with objects in nature. Left with the workings of her imagination and observations of the world around her, she translated her understanding into paintings. She continues this practice today, taking much of her momentum from the people that surround and affect her. Hanging between darkness and light, Chiaramonte’s figurative realism offers a narrative that echoes a provocative daydream, communicating both the human disposition and the mysteries therein. Her unending exploration surfaces in her paintings with an ambiguity that asks the viewer to wonder at our world as she does. 
Chiaramonte received her Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and art history from Radford University, graduating in 2010 Summa Cum Laude and was awarded the university’s best graduate thesis. Her paintings have been exhibited at Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Wisconsin, Taubman Museum of Art, Virginia, RJD Gallery, New York, and Abend Gallery, Colorado. Chiaramonte has been awarded by the Portrait Society of America (2018, 2016) and the International ARC Salon competition (2018). Her paintings have been published by American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, American Artist Magazine and PoetsArtists. Chiaramonte lives and works in Ashland, Virginia.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.