About

Welcome to Twelfth and Blossom! I'm so glad you're here. I'm Mary Claire, wife to Mike and mom to Andrew (10) and Philomena, our new baby.

While the leap into a career as a full-time artist took a little time (I was 38 years old!), I've been an artist my entire life. At the age of five, I sat in the front yard, trying to sell my little paintings to passers by. While I wasn't an overnight success, I was determined.

I was born into a devout Catholic family and attended Catholic schools from Kindergarten through college. However, it wasn't until I left an abusive marriage that I really began to depend on my faith and claim it as my own. My son's birth on December 12 was pivotal in my decision to start a new life. You could say that on the 12th, I began to BLOSSOM. In a lot of ways, I feel like I've been given a second chance - my life now is completely different from what it was 10 years ago. I met Mike in the church choir, we got married, and he adopted Andrew as his own. Then, Philomena was born in early 2022. I can't help but thank and glorify God through my art.

I've had a lot of stops on my creative journey: dance teacher, actress, singer, cookie decorator, graphic designer, and more. But I fell in love with watercolors during the pandemic, and I haven't looked back. What I love about watercolor is its unpredictability. Water has a mind of its own, and I've learned to "go with the flow" and to follow the colors as they move instead of trying to control them.

You'll notice that my art is happy and colorful. I want the people who see my art to feel light and joyful - that's how I feel when I paint - and I pray that the same joy brings others closer to God.