Mary Louise Cromar Aro was born in Detroit. Aro developed her own unique style of realism, incorporating a strong sense of abstract space and form. The resulting two-part watercolors combined two seemingly incongruous images: a landscape stretching across the upper edge of the paper and a portrait or object, framed by pure white space, below. The division of the picture plane and the purposeful inclusion of the white background separating the figure or object from the landscape became hallmarks of Mary Aro’s style. Aro has retired to her home in Michigan where she works in her living–room studio, studying, combining the various elements of her multi–part works, and exploring new imagery in oil. She continues observing and painting en plein air during the summer months. For the other six months of the year, she works in her studio, creating new imagery and combining the various elements of her multi-part works. 

Mary Aro, on her trash paintings:

"I was inspired to paint trash when a nurse at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit liked one of my paintings of a crushed beer can. I gave her the painting.

I painted another can and that lead me to start more paintings of trash. My family started to bring me pieces of trash found on their walks in Detroit, Grosse Pointe, and along the river. They were excited to find other things and bring them to me. I don't go outside so they drop off the trash in my garage where I leave them for a few days before bringing them inside. I lay them out on the floor and choose which ones to paint. I've made about twenty of these paintings so far. The trash has very interesting abstract shapes. It's a challenge to paint them. At 90, I have a hard time with a shaky hand. I love the beautiful colors, the creased and wrinkled, dirty parts. The cans are luminous and shimmery. 

I think it's nice that my paintings involve other people--kind of a collaborative effort. Friends and family contribute are are excited to find these objects and it gives them some satisfaction in helping me create the art. It may help people to understand that beauty can be found anywhere."