Professional Biography

"Art should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further." (Keith Haring)

Mary Elizabeth Kamphausen Shadbolt (MEKS) has over 30 years creative experience in the fields of drawing, photography and the fine arts. Ever since she was able to hold a pencil she knew that she wanted to be an artist.

Her artistic passion grew stronger for both her own work, and for teaching. Majoring in traditional Illustration, with a triple minor in Art History, Painting and Photography, Mary graduated with a BFA from the prestigious Rowan University, and since 1996 has been working on growing her freelance “Fine Illustration”.

Mary also attended Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia to earn a K-12 Art Education Certification in 2001, after which she continued teaching art on the middle school, and then high school level, for the public school system currently culminating in over 5 years professional teaching experience.

Passionately teaching art provided Mary with the opportunity to prove further that the arts are indispensable and irreplaceable. She strongly believes that the arts provide a visual language that our popular culture leans on more heavily every day, and has actively transmitted this passion to her students through such projects as Youth Art Month and her Grant work with the New Jersey State Orchestra (NJSO).

By definition, Mary Shadbolt is a visual artist. She is also an art educator, but sees little difference between the two. Mary believes that being an active artist allows her a unique vision as an art educator. Just as teaching, has inspired and improved her personal artwork.

Now under the brand umbrella of ‘Tiger-Fly’, Mary’s freelance work and unique creative vision have evolved dramatically over time. Her work is now showcased online at www.tiger-fly.com. Her work evokes emotion, tells a story. Much like artists before her such as Dali, or O’Keeffe, Shadbolt applies the strong premise of “Paint what you know!” to her work. She currently specializes in botanicals, travel, live rock shows and architecture.

Mary Shadbolt has exhibited work all over NJ and Philadelphia in the last 15 years, and her work has found homes in over 100 private collections throughout the United States. Mary has directly helped numerous businesses showcase their interest and commitment to local community initiatives through choosing, or commissioning, some prints which she has taken key locations of local interest.

Mary Shadbolt’s passion for her work inspires her time and again to consistently capture the next “great shot”. She constantly strives to evolve, improve and create truly memorable images every time she goes behind the lens, or the pencil.