The Quiet Presence of Mary Troy

Mary Troy lived a life shaped by the light and textures of Australia. Born in 1889, she moved through the decades with a steady hand, eventually finding a place within the creative circles of South Australia. Her work suggests a person who looked closely at the small, often overlooked details of the immediate world. There is a certain stillness in her approach, a way of capturing a moment that feels settled and unhurried.

Her practice was not confined to a single medium. She moved between the tactile nature of oil on hardboard and the precise, layered process of printmaking. In the later years, her focus shifted toward screenprints, working in Adelaide and leaving a mark on the landscape of Australian printmaking. She was a maker of images who understood how color and form could sit together on a surface.

A Record of Work

Her work is held in collections such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Her output shows a focus on both painting and printmaking, moving from oil on hardboard to the precision of screenprints.

• The goldfish (1957) - Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

In 1957, she painted The goldfish using oil on hardboard. The piece is part of the Art Gallery of New South Wales collection. She signed and dated the work in red oil in the lower right corner, a small, direct mark on the board.

The Practice of Making

To look at her work is to see the evidence of her hands. In her paintings, the choice of hardboard as a support suggests a preference for a firm, unyielding surface. This choice affects how the oil sits, creating a specific tension between the medium and the base. Her involvement in exhibitions, such as those at Macquarie Galleries in Sydney, shows a presence in the professional art world of her time.

Her later years in Adelaide saw her engaging with the technical demands of screenprinting. This required a different kind of patience, a methodical layering of color and ink. She remained active in this capacity, contributing to the ongoing history of Australian printmaking through the latter half of the twentieth century.