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Mary Zeran Cedar Rapids Abstract painting/ abstract art

@maryzeran

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Abstract Artist | painting collage
Bold color | Joyful spaces | Art drops + behind the scenes
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Meet @maryzeran whose work will be displayed in Bridgette Mayer Gallery's upcoming exhibition New Talent: Six Rising Painters Exploring Landscape & Abstraction.

You can find her work in the permanent collections of the @metmuseum, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, U.S. Cellular Center, Harvard Business College, and United Fire Group in Los Angeles. Mary Zeran had been granted artist residencies in Oregon College of Arts and Crafts Residency, and a 2% for the Arts Purchase Prize from the Visual Arts Commission in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her work is also included in the book ""Chunghi Choo and Her Students,"" published by Arnoldsche, Stuttgart, Germany, and features in publications such as The New Art Examiner and Artweek.

Don't miss the chance to see in person some of her astonishing abstract paintings here in the gallery on September 1st!

Our artist reception and happy hour will happen on September 18, from 5:30PM to 8PM. We wait for you to join us!

#maryzeran #bridgettemayergallery #contemporaryart #abstractpainters by @maryzeran

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3 months ago

Save the date!

There are talented artists across the United States and many of them I have had the pleasure to connect with over many years through curating projects and placing their works.

I recently set out to explore some of my favorite artists and bring them to the forefront of my programming this fall with the new art season quickly approaching. It has resulted in an incredible grouping of six women artists that I am pleased to exhibit and announce:

We’re excited to announce our upcoming New Talent: Six Rising Painters Exploring Landscape & Abstraction. On display from September 1st to December 19, this exhibition brings together six emerging to mid-career artists from Philadelphia and across the United States whose work reimagines contemporary painting through abstraction, landscape, color, and process. Featuring paintings by Kirby Fredendall, Michele Kishita, Erin McIntosh, Ellen Soffer, @angelawarrenart , and Mary Zeran, the exhibition highlights a dynamic range of visual languages while revealing a shared interest in perception, memory, emotion, and material experimentation.

Are you familiar with any of these artists’ works? Please share the love if you know them and let us hear from you!

Make sure to stay tuned for more information soon. Here you will see firsthand behind-the-scenes, installation, details about the artists’ creative processes, and much more! If you would like any exhibition information in advance, please email eburke@bmayerart.com

#newtalent #bridgettemayergallery #phillyart #bridgettemayerartadvisors #curatedexhibitonphiladelphia by @maryzeran

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4 months ago

What does a day in the studio look like? It’s not all paint and polish.
It’s movement. Stillness.
A goofy dog named Sam.
And a space where I remember who I am—
so I can create art that helps you do the same.

This is what joy in progress looks like.
🎨 Watch the full reel to feel it.

🖼️ Check the link in bio to be the first to know about new work. taken in Cedar Rapids, Iowa by @maryzeran

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a year ago

My love of fabric started with my mom.

She made many of my clothes when I was growing up, and some of my favorite memories are of going to the fabric store together.

We’d look through rows of color and pattern and imagine what a piece of fabric might become. I loved that sense of possibility—and I loved that it was something creative we shared.

I didn’t know it then, but I think those afternoons shaped the way I see today.

Color. Pattern. Possibility.

They’ve followed me all the way to the studio

Shibori #99, 2026
Acrylic, Dura-Lar on cradled panel
24 x 24 x 1.5 in
$1,100

This piece is part of the exhibit New Talent: Six Rising Artists Explore Landscape and Abstraction at @bmayergallery by @maryzeran

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9 hours ago

I may have almost as much fun naming these collages as I do making them.

There’s a little more humor in this body of work. The gestures can be awkward, playful and slightly strange—and I like giving them titles that lean into that personality.

This one is called Pieces The Unexpected Way. It's 12"x12" on archival paper.

This piece is currently part of New Talent: Six Rising Painters Exploring Landscape & Abstraction at @bmayergallery in Philadelphia. by @maryzeran

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a day ago

This might be my favorite part of sending a painting out into the world.

In my studio, I’m thinking about color, composition and whether the painting is finished.

Then it goes into someone’s home and becomes something completely different.

It becomes part of breakfasts, conversations, celebrations and ordinary Tuesday mornings.

It becomes part of someone’s life.

I love that.

Shibori #54, 2026
Acrylic, Dura-Lar on cradled panel
30 x 40 x 1.5 in
$3,200

This piece is currently part of New Talent: Six Rising Painters Exploring Landscape & Abstraction at @bmayergallery in Philadelphia. I’m so grateful to have this work included in the exhibition. by @maryzeran

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2 days ago

This is the part of painting I love most.

I start with an idea, but I never really know where the painting is going to take me. I add color, move it around, respond to what’s happening—and sometimes completely change direction.

There’s always a point when I have to stop trying to control it and start listening to what the painting needs.

That little bit of uncertainty is what keeps me coming back to the studio. by @maryzeran

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4 days ago

by @maryzeran

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8 days ago

Most days in the studio aren’t particularly glamorous.

There’s paint everywhere. I move things around. I change my mind. I make something I love and then sometimes completely ruin it. 😂

And slowly, all of those little decisions add up to a painting.

I can’t imagine doing anything else. by @maryzeran

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9 days ago

The Shibori series is rooted in my belief that art can give us a reason to pause—to slow down, look a little longer, and reconnect with our sense of curiosity.

Inspired by the patterns and rhythms of Japanese Shibori textiles, I use fluid acrylic paint on Dura-Lar to create movement, repetition, and moments of surprise. For me, the process is about letting go of control and allowing the materials to lead.

I want these paintings to feel alive—to offer a moment of color, energy, and presence in the middle of everyday life.

This piece is currently part of New Talent: Six Rising Painters Exploring Landscape & Abstraction at @bmayergallery in Philadelphia. I’m so grateful to have this work included in the exhibition.

Shibori #72, 2026
Acrylic, Dura-Lar on cradled panel
24 x 24 x 2 in
$1,100 by @maryzeran

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11 days ago

So much of painting is knowing when to guide the work—and when to get out of its way.

I can begin with an idea, a color, or a direction, but at some point I have to stop trying to control the outcome. I have to trust the process and leave room for the unexpected.

Often, the moments I could never have planned are the ones that bring the painting to life.

“I have to trust the process and leave room for surprise.” by @maryzeran

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15 days ago

Sometimes I like to simply let the work have the floor. Color, shape, transparency and a little bit of mischief.

Little Off Course, 2026
acrylic, Dura Lar on paper
12 x 12 in
$140

This piece is part of the exhibit New Talent: Rising Painters Exploring Landscape and Abstraction @bmayergallery . The show runs from September 1st-December 18th by @maryzeran

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16 days ago