“No matter what medium I explore, my central theme remains the same: I speak with emotions, always from the heart.” Mary Jo Strauss

For Mary Jo Strauss, art has been a thread running through her entire life.

Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Mary Jo was drawn to drawing and painting from childhood. At eight, she was invited to attend a summer art program, and by twelve she was saving paints from paint-by-number sets to create her own work. Her grandfather, a chemist who painted portraits and landscapes, encouraged her creativity and shared his love of painting and music.

Mary Jo went on to study painting at Ohio State University and later interior design. Her creative path eventually took her to New York City, where she spent nine years working at the Jean Louis David salon inside the legendary Henri Bendel. Color, line, movement and individual expression became part of her everyday life.

She later moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she opened The Gallery, combining her hair salon with a space for exhibiting her artwork. For many years her artistic energy was expressed through both design and her work with people.

After retiring from hair design in 2013, Mary Jo returned wholeheartedly to painting. A pivotal experience came when she traveled to Bali to study with abstract painter Carja, who encouraged her to let go of rules, trust her instincts and create from within.

Today Mary Jo works in oil, acrylic, graphite, charcoal and mixed media, moving between figurative and abstract expression. She is especially drawn to the human figure and to women — their beauty, strength, vulnerability and individuality.

Whether working on an intimate drawing or a large canvas, Mary Jo paints from connection — to a person, a feeling, a memory, a color or a moment.

When that connection happens, she loses herself in the work.

And that is where the painting begins.