DFN Gallery is pleased to present Urban Woodlands, an exhibition of drawings by Mary Reilly, at The Arsenal Gallery in Central Park.  In these graphite drawings, Reilly depicts the natural beauty that can be found in all five boroughs of New York City.  Reilly focuses on the details of nature that are often beyond one’s passing glance.  At first, Reilly works in a reductive process, building up to eight layers of graphite to tone the white paper - pulling out the lights and pushing back the darks.  Reilly sees herself as “carving out the gentle details of nature with the quiet, silvery patina and sensual feel of graphite.” This technique creates subtle shifts between light and dark, giving her work a photographic quality.

Reilly explores dense wooded areas, wild fields, and empty beaches to find her subject matter.  She is particularly drawn to quiet isolated locations that emphasize the beauty of overlooked spaces.  Seasonal transformation, decay, and the transience of the natural world are the essence of Reilly’s vision.

Mary Reilly was born in Yorktown, New York.  She studied at the School of Visual Arts and the Arts Students League; she also attended the National Academy School of Design, where she exhibited in its Annual exhibition (2001).  Reilly’s artwork has been featured in American Artist Magazine (Spring 2004 and December 2008).