Mary Paulsen Folk Art Garden

I have just returned from a vacation down south and wanted to share the story of a remarkable woman. During my trip, I visited Mary's Gone Wild, the visionary folk art garden, doll baby village and bottle house of Mary Paulsen of Holden Beach, North Carolina. Mary creates bright colored paintings on the reverse side of old glass windows as well as other recyled goods. By purchasing Mary's art and leaving donations, visitor's to Mary's Garden have helped to feed tens of thousands of hungry children since 1996. Above is a picture of the outside of Mary's studio and below are photos of the inside, including her whimsical paintings. Notice the floor and ceiling treatments. Not a surface goes untouched.Mary recently completed the bottle house pictured below. She has saved thousands of pounds of trash from the local landfill by recycling unwanted goods into bright and happy "make you smile art."

The house is made completely out of bottles and includes her paintings for windows. The floor is painted and the inside is furnished with pieces that Mary has embellished.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Mary while she was working on her latest creation. She is deeply religious, friendly and was happy to answer all my questions. I am so glad I stopped by!