My name is Mary Radcliff Harnetiaux, and I’m a Saint Louis artist. I create large-scale abstract paintings in acrylic on wood. My work is ornate and full of life and movement. I like to tell stories; many of my paintings are inspired by poetry or iconic figures. Each painting has an original handcrafted frame built my by dad, Michael Radcliff.

I was born in St. Louis in 1972. I won my first coloring contest when I was six and I distinctly remember it. The prize was a dinner for two at Giovanni’s Italian restaurant in Maplewood. It was over that dinner in 1978 that I resolved I would be an artist. I have never questioned this resolve. When I was eight, my family moved to the Missouri countryside near a small town called Swedeborg. I fell in love with wildlife; you can see nature’s inspiration in my paintings. At age 14, we relocated to Greenville, IL. The flat farmland left me homesick for the wildflowers and rolling hills of Missouri. I occupied myself by taking a class in painting and met my first mentor, Anne Seal. Anne recognized my conviction and took extra time to teach me techniques I still use today.

In high school I began to feel the weight of my hometown community and it’s void of culture. As soon as I was old enough to be on my own, I moved to St. Louis. During this time, I began to experiment with my painting and develop my unique style. In 2000 I showed my art for the first time in the Venus Envy show at the Lemp Brewery. That same year, I entered the Taste of the Central West End art festival and won best of show. This was the beginning of becoming a professional selling artist. I painted every evening after my day job. I was receiving commissions and was inviting art collectors to visit my home studio.

In 2002 I Co-founded a non-profit organization called Our Common Ground (OCG). The mission of this organization is to bring culture and art to the rural community. Co-founding this org gave me a completely new focus with my art—to do something much larger than myself. In 2oo3 I met my husband Jonathan Harnetiaux. It was my art that caught his eye and brought him home from his world travels to marry me. We bought our first home in Benton Park, St. Louis. I learned a new art called home renovation. In 2003, Robert Bullivant of Bullivant Gallery started creating archival prints of my art. I also worked as Robert’s personal assistant for a short time before I had my son in 2004. I put my painting on hold so I could focus on raising him and travel the world with my new family. I kept a finger in the art world by helping curate events for OCG and by selling and donating my limited edition prints to benefit various causes for children as well as non-profit organizations.

In the fall of 2009, I completed my long-awaited 5’ by 7’ painting that depicts falling in love, getting married, and becoming a mom. It is called “The Kaleidoscope.” I showed it to an eager audience in the 2009 Ex-Pat exhibit, hosted through OCG. In 2010, I have two new paintings on the easel and another on the way. I enjoy the full-circle connection I feel for this city. Thirty-two years later, I still carry the same resolve, and I paint with the same enthusiasm and purity as I did when I was a child of six.