Mary
van
de
Wiel

Playful, bold and exuberant, Black Line Crazy is a brand with adventure at its heart and where the color black always takes center stage.

The work celebrates the power of line and spontaneous mark making where each limited edition piece in the collection is based on an original abstract paintings by Mary van de Wiel (better known as Van).

What’s more, the work passionately expresses her ethos that “art belongs in your everyday life.” After all, art has a pulse. Just like we do. And it belongs in everyday life. Not just on walls.

No surprise. That’s why she couldn’t resist interpreting her paintings across different platforms, mediums and textures.

Back Story: One day, this New York-based creative director/brander landed in the middle of Mexico, picked up a brush and a can of black house paint and, for the first time in her life, started to paint floor to ceiling. It turned her world upside down. The scale of her work grew bigger, bolder and more impulsive. It kicked off in a studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, exploded floor to ceiling in Brooklyn, and then in Sydney, Australia, burst across murals, gallery windows, home furnishings, upholstery and wall coverings.

In 2015, Van had her first successful exhibition at the Saint Cloche Gallery in Sydney. A year later, she was invited to exhibit at Galeria Manuk in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In September 2019 in New York City, Black Line Crazy’s first commissioned Public Art Installation, What Were They Thinking, was unveiled in the UBS corporate bank lobby at 1285 Avenue of the Americas and West 51 Street, NYC. Note: The installation is still up.

Her exuberance as a design thinker has always taken center stage. For 30 years, Van was Chief Creative Officer of her own award-winning branding agency with offices in New York and Sydney working with Fortune 500 clients. www.maryvandewiel.com With Black Line Crazy, she relishes walking outside the line, and this is her invitation to walk outside the line with her!

Back in Mexico, she’s launched her first BLC Limited Edition Collection. Each piece is based on a signed original abstract painting. Starting with messenger bags, her work now includes totes, laptop bags, eclectic briefcases, and zippered portfolio sleeves. What followed next was the first BLC Wool Collection of handwoven wool area rugs and throws, and in 2022, a new collection of textiles, homewares and accessories are in the making. After all, Black Line Crazy invites you to integrate any piece with your personality. Because self expression is your intrinsic right! Watch this space!

Exhibitions

Public Art Installation, What Were They Thinking?
New York City | 1285 Avenue of the Americas
Sept 14, 2019 –
Unveiled in the UBS corporate bank lobby at 1285 Avenue of the Americas & West 51 Street, van de Wiel’s first public art installation was commissioned by And Partners which acts as ‘co-curators’ on behalf of its clients. Located in a massive interior walkway, her 4 x5 ft artworks are encased in five vitrine windows. In addition, her Black Line Crazy black vinyl graphics are spilling across the entire line up of 15 glass panels. It’s still up.”We see opportunities with artists like Mary van de Wiel to make original works at 1285 Avenue of the Americas as a great example of the intersection of contemporary art and commerce,” said David Schimmel, founder and CEO of And Partners. Viewing Hours: Weekdays 9am-5:30pm

More Exhibitions
Mexico | Australia