Mary Vincent SOA – portfolio

Contact the artist

maryjoanvincent@gmail.com

Exhibition information

I have been exploring a new practice for myself this year. I have been doing very quick mono prints onto coloured tissue paper. When these are dry I then tear them up and mix up the different coloured tissue papers. I then glue them randomly onto a canvas board and once dry I then paint onto this background using acrylic paints. 

Two of my pieces come from work I am exploring around ideas of recovery. I use written phrases to start my visual journey of my chosen theme. The two phrases that captured my interest are “I am no good at giving up” and “Recovery is hand crafted.” I am at present writing a poem called “I am no good at giving up” which I hope to perform at South Oxford Arts Performance Evening at

South Oxford Community Centre, Lake Street,

on Saturday 16th of May,2026. from 7pm-10pm.

The largest of my pieces this year is called Pink Wave and uses the same techniques as the two word pieces. I am interested in how to impose a landscape on a random tissue paper collage. Pink Wave has stayed with a limited pallet of blues, purple, pink and white.

I also have two silk screen prints. This is a very new media for me and I am very much at the beginning of understanding the media but it fits very well with my love of cutting stencils. One of the prints is of multiple hummingbirds. The other is from my work around brain shapes and is called Thoughts.

I have included two of my poems as images for you to read. They are called “Arrived”, which was written after a holiday to Ardnamurchan last year and “The Cove” which is about Kynance Cove in Cornwall.

 

Artist information

I came to Oxford nearly 40 years ago after always living in the West Country. Cornwall is very much in my veins and I miss the sea. But Oxford is where I have found my arty and poetry friends. Both of which I would be lost without.

I study art at Sunningwell School of Art with the amazing Allyson Austin. I attend her Wednesday afternoon class “Images and Ideas” along with Nic Hamilton, Julia Simmonds, Eileen Simmons and Jude Sanders. Nic introduced us all to South Oxford Arts group where I have made many more friends, both artists and poets.

I have exhibited with South Oxford Arts group 3 years now . We have 2 shows a year. This May we have a full programme. Our performance evening is a mixture of poetry and music. There is a talk on the 24th of May by Martin Beek at 5pm (contact SOA for tickets. There is a charge for this event). The poetry group will be reading our own poetry on the 25th May in the cafe. There are  workshops taking place during the exhibition. The exhibition is open both the weekends of the 16th and 17th of May and the 24th,25th and 26th of May. Importantly there will be a supply of lovely cakes in the cafe downstairs! 

I shall be there all the days and will be happy to chat about my work and how my depression and anxiety inform my practice.