Claire Uhar

[Mary Royall Wilgis](https://www.cohart.com/u/maryroyallwilgis) is a contemporary artist based in Brooklyn whose practice is rooted in the exploration of light and color. Her paintings capture serene, reflective spaces. Mary Royall’s attention to the way light interacts with various environments, gives her works a unique, contemplative feel.

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##### Hi! It's so great to see you twice in one week. We had such a wonderful time at the PAPER dinner. Thank you again for coming! Okay, let’s dive in—tell us about your journey to an art career.

I’m so glad that we’re getting to spend this time together. So, after college, I moved to New York and was working  a very corporate job doing storytelling for tech clients all over the world. After about two years of working insane hours, I started to burn out so I decided to get an art studio to reconnect with my creative side. I rented a studio at night, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., and another artist used it during the day. I was working with clients in Japan, so I would go to the studio at 9, paint, take calls at 2 a.m, then turn around and paint for a few hours before packing up and heading home. During that time I mainly worked on self portraits- specifically one 6-foot tall portrait of me and the studio cat, who was there to catch mice.

##### Do you still have it?

Yes… it’s rolled up in the corner of my studio! Obviously, that style of working all day and painting all night was not sustainable, so to try to figure out my next steps, I took myself on a road trip and spent a week alone in the woods of Utah. I spent a lot of time thinking and writing. When I got back, I quit my job, dove into my savings, and decided to pursue art full time. The universe gave me what my mom calls a “God Wink”—little signs that you’re on the right path: A week after I quit, I got a call from my best friend, Nima, who runs an ad-tech company in Brooklyn. The company’s artist-in-residence had just moved to LA, and they had an opening. He asked if I wanted the role—free studio space.

##### Talk about a “God Wink.”

Exactly! So of course I said yes, but ended up moving back to my parents’ house for a few months to deal with some health issues and save on New York rent. While I was there, I hit a low point and started questioning everything. What had I done? How was I going to make it as an artist? 

##### Highs and lows. Duality. I think that multifaceted aspect of your life is so apparent in your work—the contrast of life, the contrast of light.

Yes. I really struggle with social media because those highs and lows aren’t shown. It’s all the good, all the time. Meanwhile, there are days where I want to walk away from it all. Eventually, I moved back to New York and just started grinding and creating. I made a ton of wild projects to find my style, including a 6-foot-tall Waffle House painting. As time went on, I began noticing light more—almost as a grounding practice. A friend had given me a book of poems called Devotions by Mary Oliver. She’s my favorite poet, and I start every day with one of her poems. Many of her works are about nature and how light shapes the world. It’s become a spiritual practice for me—connecting with a feeling every time I see light.

##### Besides art (and your fabulous fashion choices), what else brings you light in life right now?

Definitely poetry.

##### Have you ever written any?

Not yet, but I might take a class. I want my work to feel like reading a poem—ephemeral. I studied English, so this makes sense to me. You read a poem in a moment, and that moment will never be the same again. Even if two people read it at the same time, they’ll have two different interpretations. It’s about capturing a moment in time, a story that will never happen again.

##### Like your work, “Light From The Same Tree, 8:45 p.m.” Some of your pieces are literally timestamped—moments that will never happen again. I also have to ask—your color palette is so vibrant, especially your use of neons. It’s easy to convey light against dark, but you convey light against even lighter and brighter colors. Is that a conscious choice? Does it come from a specific technique or inspiration?

I keep trying to mute the colors to be more “sophisticated,” but it just doesn’t work. I use a neon orange underpainting—a French Impressionist technique to capture light. It creates a warm, bright feeling that sets the tone.

##### What’s your earliest memory of interacting with art?

When I was 9, my mom took me to Paris for the first time. We went to the Pompidou—my favorite museum. I vividly remember standing in front of a painting and bawling my eyes out. It was a modern work with a traditional vibe—two women in a window with reflections and animals. I was in awe that art could make me feel so much. 

##### Sounds like we need to plan a Cohart artist offsite in Paris! That’s an incredible story. It ties back to storytelling, which has been such a part of your career, both before and after becoming a full-time artist. Do you create stories around your pieces—the people looking in or out of the windows, the homes those windows belong to?

Yes, but in a less literal sense. Instead, I focus on the personality of the light—what the sun is doing, how it’s changing. Letting the light just be light—sometimes bright, sometimes solemn. Each moment in time has a feeling and a personality, I try to let that shine through.

##### You’re almost two years into this new path, coming from a business background. Do you enjoy the business and operations side of being an artist?

l love the business side because I have past experience that makes me good at it. I have a lot of thoughts about how business is taught to artists. If I didn’t have my network of business friends—people who run ad-tech companies, e-commerce businesses, startups etc.—I wouldn’t be able to run things as efficiently as I do. It’s a huge challenge, and Cohart is really making strides in supporting artists with this aspect of their careers. Running a business as an artist-entrepreneur is tough—you’re getting cut from every angle.

##### Yes, it’s a different form of entrepreneurship. You’re often the product—your soul, your creativity. If someone doesn’t like it or takes 50% of it, it feels personal. You come home and question yourself as the brand. It’s such a harsh form of validation.

Absolutely. The commodification of self, especially with social media being such a big part of the art world nowadays, feels like the antithesis of art. I’m so grateful for social media, but it’s also a dichotomy because my work is about feeling grounded, and social media often works against that, but it's necessary to build a brand, especially as someone who doesn’t come from an art school background. 

##### Two-part question: What are you most proud of today, and fast forward five years—what do you hope to be most proud of?

I love this question. When I first started, I was painting at my parents’ house. My dad would come in multiple times a day and say, “I’m so proud of you.” I’d get upset because I felt like I hadn’t accomplished anything—I hadn’t sold anything, and I was living with my parents. I thought I had nothing to be proud of. But then I realized, I did. I was proud of trusting myself. And honestly, I hope that’s my answer in five years, too. It’s about the hustle and trusting yourself, even when it’s hard. It’s not about the shows or the recognition; it’s about the trust.

##### Celebrating the process versus the progress. Especially as the metrics change and evolve. Okay, last question—if you could wave a magic paintbrush and change one thing for artists, what would it be?

Business education, hands down. The number of questions I get about business is staggering. I wish I could download all the business knowledge from my friends’ brains and spread it around. There’s so much I still have to learn, even after spending time in corporate spaces. I’m so grateful for my community that has taught me.

##### Let’s do more of that together at Cohart.

For sure.

##### This was so much fun. Thank you for everything! 

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An artist's journey through highs and lows, finding inspiration in light and poetry, and striving to create ephemeral moments in art

Paper Drop: Mary Royall Wilgis Shines with Vibrant Colors

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