Mary Brestovansky

Ranging between illustration and metal, my work reflects my escapist nature and interest in fictional worlds crafted down to the finest details. My creative practice employs the illusive nature of painting to visualize worlds and stories that can only exist in fiction, and grants them physical form through my use of metalcraft. Uniting these practices allows the creation of a portal between the real and imaginary.

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In my work as a publishing illustrator, I seek to create enticing worlds of drama and magic where the mind can wander. Every detail has an opportunity to tell a story of its own. My greatest influences are the work of fantasy writers like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, artists like John Howe, Alan Lee, and Frank Frazetta as well as folktales and myth from all backgrounds. They have inspired me to write and illustrate comics and scenes that explore the balance between light against dark, the dramatic against the mundane. Light cannot be seen as light without the existence of darkness, nor drama without the experiences of everyday. Every detail can have some meaning to it, whether large or small. These thoughts lead me to create semi-realistic paintings of fantastical creatures and environments, often with grim undertones and subtle details. In turn, I craft metal props of things that could be found in these worlds I paint. Often wanting something more in life, my illustrations combined with my crafts are my way of exploring and sharing another universe, realized for a moment of time.