Mary Jo Van Dell is a Minnesota native and paints full time from her studio in Stillwater.  She started her career in the early 1980s with private studies, continuing her education with the Minneapolis Art Instruction School.  She carved a career in wildlife art, exhibiting in galleries and doing major shows throughout the United States.  She conducted several workshops and taught oil painting for 15 years before moving to Colorado where she opened her own gallery.  Influenced by the cast of characters and surrounding beauty, she began painting portraiture and landscapes, giving up wildlife art completely.  Back in Minnesota, Van Dell continues her career, portraying landscapes, a subject she feels she was always meant to paint.

Selected Exhibitions
2006  Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit
2002  Tamarack Gallery, Stillwater, Minnesota
2000  4th Mesa Gallery, Edwards, Colorado
2000  Eagle River Gallery, Minturn, Colorado
2004  Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit
Selected Collections:
National Park Service, Isle Royale National Park
Stillwater Medical Clinic, Stillwater, Minnesota
Moose Bay Company, Ely, Minnesota
Commissions:
Will Steger, Polar Explorer
Awards and Honors:
2006  Artwork used for book cover, Warren Woessner, Clear All the Rest of the Way
2004  Recipient of full grant from the Sumasil Foundation
2004  Artist in Residence, Isle Royale National Park, Michigan