Artist Spotlight: Behind the Scenes with Mary Withers Kirkland June 11, 2025

“No two artists are the same,” says Anderson Design Group’s Founder and Creative Director Joel Anderson when asked how he finds artists to collaborate with. Joel’s approach to creative direction at his Nashville art studio involves heading up a team of in-house studio artists like Aaron Johnson and Derek Anderson (no relation). Since founding ADG in 2007, Joel has worked with dozens of artists and produced over 3,000 original illustrations, giving him a knack for spotting specific types of artistic talent that fit perfectly with the ADG vibe.

Over the past 18 years and in addition to his studio artists, Joel has also directed creative operations by working with collaborating artists around the country and the world, giving ADG the honor of working with some of the best minds and most talented artists who appreciate vintage poster art and an illustration style reminiscent of the Golden Age of Illustration. 

Each of these artists have mastered their craft in an original and compelling way, creating travel posters and illustrated designs that are unique to their style but that also fit with the ADG style of celebrating vintage art and original poster art from the early and mid-20th century. 

This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with collaborating artist Mary Withers Kirkland, an artist who created their first original illustration for ADG in 2022, and who has now produced 37 original poster designs and vintage illustrations along themes of travel art, vintage art, Golden Age of Illustration renditions, national park art, and nature art.

Mary’s Artist Bio

“I’m a digital visual development artist and freelance illustrator from the USA east coast!” Mary says in her brief bio on her portfolio page. “I’ve got a knack for bright color, fun characters, and deep-diving into research for world building. I also love the weather, geology, motorsport, and traveling! You can always find me in a corner, figure sketching.”

“I love visual development art and illustration,” Mary continues. “I like to experiment in environments, character work, asset design, and I do freelance commission work. My dream is to develop well-rounded worlds and cultures that people wish they could visit - real or not!”

“I’m also a fun-loving person who enjoys leadership roles, organizing large projects, and the satisfaction of a finished concept,” she says. “I work well in teams and in hands-on situations and pride myself on being very visual. I'm bold, outspoken, and love a good challenge!”

Q & A with Mary

ADG: What drew you to the arts initially? How did you get your start?

Mary: I’m the oldest of four kids, and while we were never an artsy family per se, I’ve always been drawn to the arts. My parents have pictures of me painting with watercolor sets when I was five or six years old. I always had a pencil in my hand. And when I was six years old, I watched the Disney movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, with a special feature in the DVD set that had lead animator James Baxter showing viewers how to draw scenes from the film. From that moment on I completely fell in love with horseback riding, animation, and illustration.

ADG: Did you have any early influences or inspirations?

Mary: My aunt (my dad’s sister) is a wildlife artist and painter. She has been a real advocate for the arts as a viable career for me, which was essential when I got to high school and started talking about college and art school. Once I was in college, my professors and aunt continued to advocate for me and serve in mentorship roles, always supporting my work and encouraging me that I could, in fact, have a career as an artist.

ADG: How did you get linked up with ADG?

Mary: One of my professors at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Arden von Haeger! He is also a collaborating artist with ADG, and he introduced me to Joel. I got my BFA in Illustration for Visual Development at SCAD, but I actually started working with Joel on art of the national parks while I was still in college. I think I was a junior when I completed my first illustration with Joel, national park art of Yosemite.

ADG: How was your experience at SCAD?

Mary: SCAD is great. They're a progressive school and they help you build your art skill from the ground up. SCAD is also a good place to find community and develop interpersonal/networking skills, which are essential in the arts.

ADG: Let’s talk about your role as an artist. What does your creative process look like? How do you go from an idea to a completed illustration?

Mary: I’ll answer that question with an example. I’m really into making art of national parks currently, thanks in part to my collab with ADG. I’ll start an illustration by first doing LOTS of research. I travel to the park I want to make art of when I can. When I can’t visit the park in-person, I look at hundreds if not thousands of reference photos of the park. I also research wildlife that lives in the park, different weather patterns, climate, what the park looks like during different seasons, etc. I do all of this to get a well-rounded perspective of the park. It’s a lot of reading and looking at photos and watching videos of sunsets and sunrises, weather patterns, clouds, color palettes, and wildlife movements.

For my national park posters, it’s very much a collaboration with Joel. I might start by putting together a few thumbnails in black and white to show Joel. I might send him a few with color value added too. The goal is to work with him to select an approach that will make for a great, completed poster that people will want to decorate with. Joel has been doing this longer than I’ve been alive so he knows what people’s eyes gravitate to and what they appreciate, visually. He’s also been making travel art of the national parks for so long that he understands how to portray the parks in poster art in such a way that it’s a true testament to the beauty and unique traits/aspects of each park.

ADG: What’s your favorite national park that you’ve been to or created art of?

Mary: I’d have to say either Joshua Tree or Rocky Mountain.

ADG: Those are great ones! What about a favorite world travel destination or illustration? 

Molly: Oh gosh. The Rome illustration I did with Joel was one of the first ones in our collab, and it’s still one of my favorites.

ADG: Now that you’ve graduated and you’re a full-time artist, who do you continue to look to for inspiration?

Mary: There’s too many to list, but a few really stand out. I look to James Musil for inspiration on style. He’s an oil painter and I just love his work. For shape and color, I look to Loish van Baarle. She’s also great for process. For figure composition and character drawing, I look to Gabriel Picolo, a big name in the graphic novel and comics field.

ADG: What are some projects you’re looking forward to?

Mary: I need to keep some of them under wraps for now, but Joel and I have been in talks on some big ideas and ventures for the future, and I’m still not done creating national park art and travel illustrations. Stay tuned!

ADG: What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

Mary: Yes! I have a few tidbits. First: Be bold. Be brave. Artists are told it’s an introverted field. That it’s lonely and quiet. But it doesn’t have to be, and it really shouldn’t, especially not if you want to make it your main gig. You kinda need to shirk the typical tropes surrounding the arts, that you’ll be a "hermit" who "stays in their studio all day." Rather, be willing to go to events, talk to people, walk up to people, shake their hand, introduce yourself. Show strangers your work at cafes when they ask what you’re sketching. Go to events!! Go to exhibits and fundraisers! Go to artist residencies and meet visiting artists! 90% of art gigs come from word-of-mouth, networking, and who you know. Who you talk to in-person or one-on-one is way more important than how many firms you send your resume to over LinkedIn (although that’s important too). 

Also: expect failures. Just like with any career, not everything is going to work out in your favor 100% of the time. 

And finally: Be willing to accept criticism. It’s hard when your creative passion is also your business and how you’re making money. Try to adopt the perspective of, “Criticism is them wanting to help me further my best work,” not, “They don’t like my work and think I’m bad at it.” Criticism is a GOOD thing. Let criticism be the driving force behind why you keep going rather than why you stop.

ADG: What are your thoughts about AI and its influence on the arts? 

Mary: I’m very anti-AI. I think it holds a lot of inherent risks, and not just for human creativity, which tends to be the mainstream focus. But given how much energy it takes to power AI, I’m concerned about the environmental implications of mass-scale AI proliferation into our world. However, this isn’t the first time the arts have experienced a major technological revolution. The introduction of photoshop comes to mind, and in the past, we’ve used the democratic process to create regulatory frameworks and guardrails around technological innovation, all in an effort to maintain the human component in the arts. If we can have the American people control AI and its implementation into humanity (as opposed to a few powerful but unaccountable tech magnates who make all the decisions for us), then we should be fine. But it’s definitely something I’m concerned about.

ADG: What are some of your hobbies and interests outside the arts? 

Mary: I love creative writing. I love to crochet. I'm also really into Formula 1 racing! I like being outside or being near windows. Natural light soothes my soul. If I can sketch, read, or listen to music on a porch or near a window, I’m happy.

ADG: Where can folks find your work and learn more about you?

Mary: I have a portfolio site, but the number #1 place I send people to is my Carrd profile, as it has links to all the places people can find my work. 

ADG: Thanks for sitting down with us, Mary! We’re so excited to see what you and Joel create next!

Mary: Thanks for having me! I’m looking forward to our next project.

Preserving Artistic Traditions for Generations to Come

Each artist who works with ADG has developed their style, talent, and signature abilities in ways that stand out in their work, ways that empower ADG to create award-winning poster art collections that weave the talents and inspirations of several artists together.

As long as folks continue supporting our small family business, we’ll keep producing artwork that celebrates vintage poster design, old-school printing and illustration techniques, beloved travel destinations, national parks, and so much more. And remember, we donate 10% of our annual profits to a number of non-profit organizations, including the National Parks Foundation. Proceeds from your purchases improve the lives of battered women, the homeless, nature-lovers, and students who want to pursue a career in the visual arts.

We thank you for your business and we hope you enjoyed learning about collaborating artist Mary Withers Kirkland!

Until next time,

-Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer