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About Mary Ida
Mary Ida Rolape creates artwork inspired by the beauty of Southern Maryland. Her current work with fused glass and mosaic sculptures captures subjects such as graceful great blue herons, colorful songbirds, and landscapes that reflect the region’s natural charm and rural heritage.
Like most artists, Mary Ida has been involved with art since childhood. Mary Ida took multiple courses from multiple sources in different media and techniques. She found her true calling in sculpture. She explored stone, metal and wood sculpture. By 2012, she felt that she needed to incorporate color into her sculptures and these explorations led her to mosaic sculptures.
With these sculptures she created all of the elements for the mosaics including ceramics and enameled metals. She wanted to incorporate the sparkle of glass into her mosaics and began fusing glass to create elements for the mosaics. The glass itself fascinated her. Glass captures a sense of movement, glow, beautiful colors and lasting beauty. She began creating
glass for its own sculptural form.
She now works primarily in glass while maintaining a strong interest in mosaic sculpture. She is excited to be working every day pursuing the sparkling forms of Southern Maryland.
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In the Studio
Mary Ida Rolape works in two separate studio spaces on her Southern Maryland farmland. The Barn, a renovated tobacco barn, serves as her mosaic studio and houses her collection of stained glass, fused glass elements, tiles, found objects, and the equipment she uses to create her mosaic sculptures with careful attention to color, texture, and design. Separate from this is the Glass Shack, where she creates fused glass pieces through an intricate process of layering, heating, and multiple kiln firings that transform glass into richly colored works with depth and movement. Together, these two distinct spaces support the creativity, craftsmanship, and precision at the heart of her art.
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