Artist’s Varied Work Is a Fair Success

If artist Mary Ulrich doesn’t find incentives in Chopin’s piano compositions or Paul Simon’s folk-rock rhythms, she can always look out the window or take a stroll around town to get her creative juices flowing.

“I love to listen to music when I paint,” she said. “It’s an inspiration from deep within. I go with what I feel.”

Ulrich, 53, also lets her eyes do the wandering. She might find inspiration at the San Buenaventura Mission or the slanted rocky foothills along the Ronald Reagan Freeway.

The Simi Valley resident has had a busy year, but she doesn’t look at it as work.

Ulrich is a multimedia artist whose talents range from acrylic paintings and handcrafted greeting cards to decoupage projects and clothing.

She won first place at the Ventura County Fair’s arts and crafts exhibit for her decoupage-adorned suitcase that features a 1968 wedding picture of the artisan and her husband, Les.

Ulrich also has an acrylic painting hanging in the juried exhibit at the fair’s professional arts building. Titled “Out & Beyond My Dreams,” it shows rolling hills and a vibrant sky.

The Ventura Holiday Inn has commissioned Ulrich to paint several pieces of the San Buenaventura Mission.

“People say that Simi Valley lacks art culture. I resent that,” she said. “I live here, and there is a lot of creative talent in this city.”