Mary德蘭Chen began drawing in earnest after a quick birthday note to an old friend became a talking chocolate cupcake with yellow frosting and a cherry on top. More recently she began painting what she hopes is Fine Art under the guidance of Colorado artist Lyse Dzija.  Her next endeavor involves uniting the craft of fine art with the spirit of whimsy.  Mary’s goal for any piece is to evoke a mood and a story.

Mary was named 德蘭(déh lán) by her maternal grandfather.  A man of few words, he offered his encouragement to a very young Mary after a routine check of the trash can.  Fishing out one of her discarded drawings, he said to himself with surprise, “What a perfectly good shoe!” He tacked the pastel drawing above his own Chinese calligraphy workspace.

Mary currently creates in Fort Collins and Breckenridge, Colorado.