Mary Lynn Burke (Brzuchanski) lives and works in Lexington, MA. She earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Social Work from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her work has been featured in a four person exhibition at Portland Art Gallery in Maine and in group shows at Kathryn Schultz Gallery (MA) and Mīharo Gallery (New Zealand) among others. In 2027, she will have her first solo exhibition at Danforth Art Museum, curated by Jessica Roscio in Framingham, MA.

I create vibrant abstract paintings to translate the resonance of my time spent bonding with nature. Alone and immersed in the textures, scents, and feel of mossy forests, bodies of water, and wildflower meadows, I feel the complexities of belonging and identity become simple and clear. Painting is the process that allows me to fully absorb this perspective, offering a window into the inherent beauty and shared power within our reciprocal relationship with the natural world. Hints of symbolism in a splash of water, the flight of birds, blossoming flora, or the reach of branches develop as I build instinctual layers, celebrating the symbiotic relationship within all life. My practice spans an evolution as a clinical social worker, photographer, and mother; it is a passionate inquiry into the relationships between caregiving, creative expression, solitude with nature, and sense of self. My painting process often begins with intuitive work using cyanotype. In collaboration with nature, I embed impressions of myself and my surroundings directly into the canvas. My imagination and memories unfold through soak-staining and emotive applications of acrylic, spray paint, oil, and pastel, allowing materials to perform as I remember the visceral touch of nature, resulting in a process of play with with color and form.

Exhibitions:

Spring Awakening