Biography

 

 

An industrial designer by training, and a fine artist at heart, creativity lives in Mary Hirvela’s blood.

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She is a visionary who is passionate about sustainability, values open-mindedness, and is always up for tackling a new challenge.

 

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In March 2022, she quit her full time product development job to pursue her dream of being an artist.

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Mary is a self-taught artist, who grew up reading art books and in high school became an accomplished and awarded artist. She attended workshops and plein air events to hone her work.

 

In 2016 she put her art on hold to obtain an Industrial Design degree from Georgia Tech. At Georgia Tech, she learned to be an innovator, a self-starter, resilient, and a jack of all trades. She put her all into her design work and graduated in May 2020 with highest honors.

 

Later that year, she accepted her first full-time job as a product developer for VELUX, a skylight company. There she contributed to the development of new skylights, led the charge for sustainability in the U.S., and became an effective project manager. Though she was successful in this work she couldn’t help but miss the call to art.

 

In March 2022, with the support of her friends and family, she made the difficult decision to leave the company and pursue her dream art career. She resides just outside of Greenville, SC and has found the area to be very encouraging of the arts. Mary is thankful for the journey she has had thus far and is excited for the road ahead.