Acreage resident Mary Tidy-Coyle tells her students at the Armory Art Center that creating art is more than fun, it requires continual practice.
“Art is a growing process… something to nurture,” Tidy-Coyle said.
A celebrated artist, Tidy-Coyle has been practicing art for as long as she can remember.
“I don’t know if it was ever a ‘realization,’ that I was an artist,” she said. “It seems to be something that has always been a part of me.”
As a child, she recalls always creating, drawing and coloring and is thankful that her family was so supportive of her ever-growing interests and continuing goals in the arts. Her educational accolades include earning a master’s of fine arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a bachelor’s degree from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University.
“I am very proud to be a part of our nation’s first art museum and school,” she said of her studies on the renowned campus of PAFA. “So many of the great artists we study in art history went to PAFA.”
At the Armory, art history, critique and analyses are intentionally woven into her teaching methods for students of every skill level.
Accountability for work and honest criticism are a staple that students have come to know and respect. “It builds confidence in themselves as artists, and it shows in their work,” Tidy-Coyle said.
In addition to serving the community as an Armory instructor, Tidy-Coyle also teaches at Palm Beach State College and provides lessons to middle and high school-aged students.
“It’s never too late, or too early, to try something you have an interest in or a passion about,” she said. “The creative process is a wonderful thing to experience first-hand… It expands your perspective, helps you practice patience and heightens your observation.”
She enjoys working with art students.
“There’s a certain uniqueness that comes with attending an art school, being surrounded by creatives — where everyone speaks the same language,” Tidy-Coyle said.
She is proud of her work with the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach.
“I think the Armory Art Center offers its community a step into the art world around them and beyond,” Tidy-Coyle said. “Having a community organization that believes in the significance of art as a cultural necessity, is such a wonderful thing to have access to.”
Learn more about artist Mary Tidy-Coyle at www.mccoyle.com. For more information about the Armory Art Center, visit www.armoryart.org.
