The painter and print maker Mary Sumner was born in rural Northamptonshire. Mary Sumner's chief artistic interests revolved around interpreting the natural world of her immediate surroundings in her Mid-Devon home. Gardens, countryside and animals are all recurring themes in Mary Sumner's paintings.

Working mainly in acrylics, which readily lend themselves to her characteristic exuberant use of colour, her work also is often anchored in humorous and quirky detail. 

"I illustrate encounters of my daily life, things I have seen during the day; for example, a particular building, a group of animals, the colours in a garden, anything that interests and amuses me."