Although, Mary Pratt's painting career has been associated with Newfoundland where she lived and painted since 1961, her perceptions, and esthetic understanding was shaped in Fredericton, New Brunswick where she was born in 1935.

In 1961, Pratt graduated from Mount Allison University, Sackville, and New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. There she was taught by Alex Colville, Lawren P. Harris, and Ted Pulford. It was at Mount Allison that she met her husband, Christopher Pratt. In 1963 they moved to St. Mary's Bay where they painted and raised their four children - John, Anne, Barbara, and Ned.

Since 1970's, Mary Pratt has steadily built a national career based on her paintings, and her active role in cultural affairs. She has exhibited in Canada's major galleries. In 1995, The Beaverbrook Art Gallery of Fredericton mounted a nationally touring retrospective entitled - The Art of Mary Pratt: The Substance of Light.

In 1981, Pratt was a member of the Applebaum-Hebert Cultural Review Committee that was concerned with the role of the Federal Government in Canadian culture. She was a member of the Canada Council from 1987 to 1993. Pratt presently Co-chair's the committee to locate and built the new Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 1997, Pratt received the Companion of the Order of Canada. She became a member of Maclean's Honor Roll for 1997, and won the 1997 Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize - for the Arts. She has also received numerous honorary degrees from universities across the country.

There are two major books on her work.. Mary Pratt (McGraw-Hill-Ryerson - 1989) with essays by Sandra Gwyn, and Gerda Moray; and "The Art of Mary Pratt": The Substance of Light" (Goose Lane Editions - 1995) by Tom Smart.

Mary Pratt - A Personal Calligraphy - published by - 'Goose Lane Editions' - will be available October 1, 2000. This is a selection of journal entries, and reproductions of paintings done since 1995.

The artist currently lives, and works in her studio in St.John's, Newfoundland.

Artist's Statement
It is difficult for people to escape being indoctrinated my ideas beyond their own comprehension. It is easy to be tricked into thinking that a popular ideology is a satisfactory substitution for a personal philosophy. It is hard not to "join the parade". My paintings investigate my observations of my own life. It has become increasingly exciting to discover that even within the confines of a small and uneventful life - truths - however humble in the origins can have universal importance. I am personally opposed to a world awash with easy information and facts. I prefer to discover things for myself and celebrate those discoveries in my painting.
August 16, 2000

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