Mary Joan Hinson aka Brush and Oil, took painting lessons as a small child, developing a love of oils and the unique pigments they offered. Her early teachers gave her an appreciation of art, often asking her to create class presentations. Recounting the dedication of 5th grade teacher, Alma Breslin, she says. “Ms. Breslin gave me countless sheets of colored construction paper, which I used into my high school years!” She continued her studies into adulthood in the United States, Europe, and the Far East, immersing herself in the cultures and the stimulation they provided.

Studying in Europe, with the work of masters such as Botticelli and Michelangelo in close gaze, opened her eyes to the importance of technique and craftsmanship. After returning the US she became a Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where the same learned qualities of technique and craftsmanship were taught. In 2005, she received her PhD and continued to teach and exhibit throughout the eastern United States; 2020 brought a change, however, when she decided to focus solely on her artistic endeavors, and since has produced large scale murals on the NAS navy base and in the neighborhood of St. Nicholas, as well as a solo exhibition at the Goodyear Cottage of the Jekyll Island Resort, the Beaches Fine Arts Series, and the Jacksonville International Airport Haskell Gallery.