Mary Chatowsky Jameson, artist/owner of Saltwater Studio in Newport, Rhode Island, is inspired by the ocean. She goes to the shore to collect seaweed and in her studio creates art that showcases the colors, shapes, and textures of marine botanicals.

Video conversation with MaryWhat Mary talks about…

Mary says she’s always been an artist but that anyone who knows her knows how the ocean has always inspired her. She grew up in Rhode Island, the Ocean State, and spent lots of time along the shore. When she was young, maybe three or four, she saw an exhibit of scrapbooks from the Victorian era. Basically, in the summertime when people visited the shore, they made scrapbooks that documented the experience in different ways. They wrote poetry, letters to their friends, watercolors. Nature art was in vogue, so there were flower pressings and because they were at the ocean, they pressed seaweed. Once Mary tried making pressings, the process resonated with her. She was excited to experiment with different seaweed species and different papers. She wondered if the pressings could be considered art. She knew it was a craft but could it be considered an art form? She’s transformed it into an art and has continued to experiment and grow the process and stretch herself as an artist.

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