About the Artist
Mary Anne Erickson is a lifelong artist whose work explores color, design, cultural memory, and the disappearing landscape of the American roadside. Since the mid-1980s she has documented the fading world of “Mom and Pop” motels, restaurants, and neon signs—icons of a uniquely American era of travel that are slowly vanishing from the landscape.
Her love of photography began in the third grade when her “Grandpa Joe” gave her a Brownie camera. Years later photography became an essential tool in her artistic practice—much like a pencil—allowing her to capture the light and color that create the mood and atmosphere central to her work. “I’m fascinated to stop the action and see more deeply into what appear to be ordinary moments.”
Mary Anne’s fascination with the American roadside began during family road trips. Staying at small motels and eating in roadside diners left a lasting impression. Even as a child she documented her favorite attractions, collecting souvenirs, keeping scrapbooks, and writing diaries—many of which she still has today. By the 1970s, realizing that much of this roadside culture was quietly disappearing, she began to document and paint what she saw, becoming something of an accidental preservationist.
A memorable journey along Route 66 deepened her connection to this iconic American highway, inspiring paintings of landmarks like the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, Route 66 Cowboy in Barstow, California, and the Tower Motel and Comet Drive-In in Santa Rosa, New Mexico—places that embody the spirit of the open road.
Mary Anne is a member of the Society for Commercial Archeology, an organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating roadside America. She describes finding SCA as discovering her “tribe”—a community of kindred spirits who share her passion for protecting these gems from our past. Her work is slated to be part of a traveling exhibition in 2027.
Vanishing Roadside, her long-running blog, documented the stories and imagery of these disappearing places, as well as the ones that live on today.
Mary Anne’s travel writing for The Huffington Post expanded her audience and allowed her to share reflections on what she calls “the road of life.” A journey through northern India in 2015 further broadened her artistic perspective, introducing new experiences of culture, landscape, light, and design.
A graduate of Art Center College of Design, Mary Anne lived in New York City for fifteen years working as a graphic artist and painter. Her work appeared on movie posters, book and album covers, and in publications including The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Boston Globe, Interview, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Ms., and National Lampoon, as well as projects for HBO and Warner Home Video.
In 1985, Mary Anne and her husband, chef Richard Erickson, restored a barn near Woodstock, New York. Five years later they opened Blue Mountain Bistro, a restaurant that quickly gained critical acclaim, including a stellar review in Gourmet Magazine. After many successful years they launched another venture in 2007—Bistro-to-Go, a mid-century inspired eatery and catering company in Kingston, New York.
Their motto, “Every Day’s a Celebration” reflects Mary Anne and Richard’s shared commitment to creativity, hospitality, and community. After more than three decades of running their businesses, they sold Bistro-to-Go in 2024 to make more room for the passions that have long shaped their lives.
Today they share their culinary and artistic adventures through their Substack blog, Tasty Postcards, continuing a lifelong conversation about travel, creativity, and the small discoveries that make the journey meaningful.
For Mary Anne, the roadside has always been more than scenery—it’s a reminder that life itself unfolds as a series of moments along the way. Through art, photography, and storytelling, she continues to explore that road of life, one image, one place, and one story at a time.