Born and raised in Woodstock, New York, Mary Elwyn aspired to become an artist at an early age. She had the privilege of knowing and studying with many Woodstock painters including John Pike, Franklin Alexander, Ethel Magafan, Robert Angeloch, Lois Woolley and Zhang Hong Nian. Having worked in most every medium, her preference is oil paint. Many of her paintings focus on Hudson Valley landscapes and special objects in her environment. She created a wholesale jewelry and tableware business, working in silver and gold, for which she has won national awards. Her metalwork has been represented in more than three hundred galleries in the United States, Canada and Japan.