Mary Strupp creates artwork that confronts prejudice and discrimination by depicting the exploitation of marginalized groups and individuals. She uses mediums like charcoal and oil paints to represent the emotional toll of these issues and bring attention to the daily struggles of people like herself who face invisible illnesses and disabilities. Her work aims to demonstrate how life can transcend subjective limits and societal biases by turning negative aspects into positive messages of common humanity.

1. Mary Strupp
Artist Statement
Prejudice is the preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual
experience. I create work that deals with the exploitation of these discriminatory thoughts
and actions against others and the self, and how these can be publicly confronted. This
can demonstrate the omnipresent lingering of “idealized human perception”. I use artistic
mediums such as Charcoal and graphite to provide a stark emotional contrast along with
the easily effected aspect of touch that comes with a dry medium. I also work with and
sometimes combine these materials with my wet mediums such as Oil, Acrylic and
Gouache. As an artist, I am able to use my medium to turn a negative aspect of my life
into a positive message
Using paint in my work allows for vibrant color and helps me explore different
levels of texture, from flat color to chunks of paint, each evoking a different mood and
message. Collectively my works become thematically interrelated through mass common
criticisms on all aspects of one’s health and worth. This is achieved by taking daily
events of underlying struggle while commenting on the discriminatory aesthetic of the
ideal in society. My work demonstrates how life can further extend beyond its subjective
limits.
My entire life has involved invisible medical issues that had a severe affect on my
own personal imagery of my own body growing into adulthood. Others commonly
believe that, because the exterior did not reflect the damaged interior, I did not qualify as
chronically ill or disabled. This affects me even now, and has been a constant influence in
the imagery of who I am, what I choose to depict, and how I create work to bring to light
the daily struggles of people like myself that a healthy society does not acknowledge.