statement

I am a physician from Newport News, Virginia and I have been creating art for the past 20 years. Drawing with graphite pencils is a passionate adventure for me, providing balance in my life and bringing me great joy. I love the feel of the pencil in my hand. I strive to create mood and feeling in my work. I want the spirit of my subject to be felt by the viewer. I want the viewer to be touched by the subject in a positive way, much the same way that I am.

bio

born: 1954, Cleveland, Ohio

education

Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, MD, 1979
University of Toledo, BS, 1976

selected awards/honors

Virginia Artists Juried Exhibition Award of Distinction in Drawing, Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, Hampton, VA, 2011
Biennial Award of Achievement, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA, 2010
Best in Show, Yorktown Arts Foundation Historical Triangle Show, Yorktown, VA 2009
Best in Show, Courthouse Galleries Portfolio Juried Exhibition, Portsmouth, VA 2009

selected publications

Art at the Senator's Office, 2011 Exhibition of Selected Tidewater Art Alliance Winners, p. 8-9, 2011
Daily Press, Two New Exhibits Open at Peninsula Fine Arts Center by Mark St. John Erickson, June 27, 2010
Manifest International Drawing Annual 4, Manifest Press, Aomeiya Printing Co, p. 140-141, 2009
Daily Press, Miniature Exhibit Packs a Large Punch by Mark St. John Erickson, November 2009

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Drawing on Life by Mary Lee Ruff, Gallery on the York, Yorktown, VA 2011
Pencil to Paper: Drawings by Mary Lee Ruff, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA 2010

selected group shows

'And the Winners Are", Tidewater Art Alliance First Place Award Winners, Senator Mark Warner's Office, Norfolk, VA, 2011
'Recent Work by 2009 Tidewater Art Alliance Award Winners', Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, Hampton, VA, 2011
18th International Miniature Art Show, Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, NC, 2009
Artworks All Media Show, Artworks Studios and Galleries, Richmond, VA 2008