Devoted to painting and drawing from early childhood Mary Ann Brandt had formal training at Iowa State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She worked as a commercial artist doing fashion and advertising illustration but found her personal fulfillment in oil painting.

In 1973: "I experimented with fingerpainting during a Jungian Dream Workshop. The spontaniety and range of expression, and the sensation of feeling the paint and moving it directly with my hands were exciting and satisfying." Public and critical response to her first solo exhibition, at the University of Richmond, was encouraging; critics variously likened it to Chinese Chi Huah, to early watercolors of William Blake, and works of such diverse artists as Riopelle, Zao Wou Ki, and Van Gogh.

Mary Ann's images are subjective and spontaneous. Sometimes they appear as surreal landscapes; Sometimes hooded figures emerge suggestive of other-worldly pilgrims in procession or repose. "I try to bypass conscious intention and express myself freely so what comes out is unplanned -- it just comes out. I often wonder where the images come from."

Mary Ann continues to explore and develop the potential of the fingerpainting medium from miniatures of postage stamp proportions to large-scale pieces. Her work has been seen in many juried and invitational shows and is included in private and corporate collections in this country and abroad. She is a Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

More of her work can be seen on website www.fingerpainter.com "Another Look at Finger Painting" and in the 27 minute video "Finger Painting as Fine Art ... it's not just for kids anymore.".