Meet Mary Tidy-Coyle, MFA | Visual Artist & Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Tidy-Coyle, MFA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Through my own artistic practice and experience as an educator I have found devotion, supersedes talent. I believe in putting in the hard work, and the resilience built by falling down and getting back up. I believe in the love of the game. It may seem odd to think about art as a game – winning/losing, never giving up. But that’s what it feels like – except the only opponent is usually ourselves. As artists we are constantly creatively problem solving, often asking ourselves – to what end? When is it finished? Why am I doing this? These questions will sometimes go unanswered, but our passion isn’t in seeking answers – but in the creative experience. The creative process, and the ah-ha moments are what drive us. You’ve seemingly figured it all out, calling it done – just to stand in front of another larger-than-life blank canvas. Rolling the dice, here we go again. That is passion, that is drive, that is devotion and that is rare.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what perhaps sets me apart from others is my drive, and ability to go the extra mile – to push passed expectation. I apply this attitude to my creative practice as well as to my teaching method. Being an artist, in my opinion, involves an ability to have a highly acute sensibility to detail and observation. As an observer of the world around me I am fascinated with detail and critical analysis. This is something that I bring to the studio and classroom with great care. Every brushstroke is purposeful, every edit has meaning and every student deserves my honest and caring feedback. I think all of this combined is just a reflection of my passion for what I am fortunate enough to do with my life – create, inspire and educate.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being in South Florida, there is so much to do and to see! Most of my family and friends are in Pennsylvania, which is where I’m from. So, hopefully they would come down during the winter – to take a break from the cold. Going to the beach is something we would absolutely do. Typically, I would cook for my visiting family and friends – I am vegan, so being conscious of what we eat is very important to me. I have a vegan influencer account on Instagram called Vegan Wives, that I run with my wife – where we share food inspo. However, if we wanted to go out to eat I would take them to Darbster – an excellent vegan restaurant in West Palm Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would have to say the most significant element of my success through the years has been the support of my family, friends and colleagues. My family and friends have been my biggest advocate since I can remember, they always pushed me to do my best and to never give up, no matter what; I carry that with me everyday. My success wouldn’t be what it is today without the additional support of my colleagues who give me the opportunities to propel forward in my career, both as an artist and an educator. Their belief in my abilities has allowed me to challenge myself, grow and keep building my career.

Website: https://mccoyle.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryccoyle/