Original paintings. Artist prints. Other questionable decisions.

Art that makes you smile, then makes you think

Every painting begins with a sculpture.

I build expressive little figures from wax strings, light them using dramatic light, photograph them, and then paint them in oil. The finished paintings are cute and they make social commentary. Politics, relationships, identity, power, misunderstanding and the occasional absurdity of being a human are some of the themes they explore.

The figures may be small. The ideas aren't always.

Shown internationally. Collected across the U.S., Canada, France, and Switzerland.

Prefer to see things with your actual eyeballs?
See my work in person at The Art Oasis Natick →

Wax-string figure sculpture mid-construction before being painted, by Mari Jae

Build

Wax-string figure lit with dramatic directional lighting to study shadow before painting, by Mari Jae

Light

Original Oil painting based on a wax-string figure sculpture, by Mari Jae

Paint

How these weird little people got here

The short version: wax, string, light, paint, experimentation and an unreasonable amount of staring.

Featured Original Paintings

Mr. Pineapple, whimsical figurative oil painting by Mari Jae, Natick MA

Visit in Person

Art Oasis Natick

a studio you can walk into.

Visit my working studio inside Art Oasis Natick. See new paintings, watch work in progress, join a figure drawing session or simply spend time surrounded by artists.

Using thought bubbles, speech bubbles, and humor, my paintings are about people, politics, power, and whatever else refuses to leave me alone. They often look playful at first. Look again.

Artist Prints

The same wax-string figures, now available in a range of sizes and prices.

Merch or Art That Escaped the Wall

Useful things. Wearable things.

It's a Toss (Up) oversized weekender bag featuring wax-string figure artwork by Mari Jae
White organic ribbed-neck t-shirt printed with Mari Jae wax-string figure art

Come hang out

Occasional studio news, new artwork, questionable decisions, and things I think are worth seeing.