“There Has to Be a Way,” Mary Vickers (b. 1940), 1976, original carbon drawing on paper, 7 x 7 inches, signed and inscribed “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76”

$800.00

“There Has to Be a Way,” Mary Vickers (b. 1940), 1976, original carbon drawing on paper, 7 x 7 inches, signed and inscribed “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76”; created as a personal drawing for the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC.

A charming and humorous 1976 original carbon drawing by Mary Vickers, “There Has to Be a Way” showcases the artist’s whimsical side—far rarer than her sentimental figurative works. Created as a personal gift for the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery in New York, this intimate 7 x 7 inch signed drawing features Vickers’ expressive line work and warm, narrative wit. A delightful collectible for admirers of mid-century illustration, gallery ephemera, and original art tied to New York’s printmaking scene.

Artwork Description

In contrast to Mary Vickers’ well-known romantic realism and tender depictions of childhood, “There Has to Be a Way”reveals the artist’s playful sense of humor and effortless draftsmanship. Drawn in 1976, the image shows a man in visible dismay standing beside a bedridden figure wrapped head-to-toe in medical bandages, accompanied by the bold handwritten caption:
“There HAS to be a way!”

Rendered in delicate carbon pencil, the drawing features confident, fluid lines and a minimalistic cartoon style reminiscent of mid-century magazine illustration. The exaggerated expressions and carefully placed gestures highlight Vickers’ gift for storytelling, even in the smallest compositional details.

The inscription “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76” identifies the work as a personal drawing gifted by the artist to the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, the New York gallery that represented and published Vickers’ lithographs. This direct provenance makes the piece historically significant within her career and uniquely desirable to collectors of Vickers’ studio material.

Biography of Mary Vickers

Mary Vickers (born 1940, Birmingham, England) is a British-American artist celebrated for her emotionally rich graphite drawings, tender depictions of children, and highly collectible limited-edition lithographs of the 1970s–1990s. Trained in illustration and fine drawing, Vickers developed an early fascination with figurative storytelling—an approach that blends the influences of Victorian genre painting, early 20th-century illustration, and modern sentimental realism.

Vickers immigrated to the United States in the late 1960s, where she became a featured artist for several major print publishers, including the Mitch Morse Gallery of New York, which helped distribute her imagery nationwide. Her meticulous graphite works served as master drawings for lithograph editions that became immensely popular among American collectors of nostalgic art.

Throughout her career she exhibited across the U.S. and U.K., and her works entered private collections known for family-centered figurative art and emotional portraiture. In addition to her widely recognized realism, Vickers occasionally produced whimsical sketches—such as “There Has to Be a Way”—revealing the breadth of her expressive abilities and her warm relationships with gallery collaborators.

Today, Vickers’ original drawings are considered the most coveted examples of her work, representing the purity of her technique and the foundation of her published legacy.

Mary Vickers (b. 1940), “There Has to Be a Way,” 1976, carbon drawing on paper, 7 x 7 in., signed and inscribed “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76”; created as a personal gift for the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC. Provenance: Private collection; Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.

CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Mary Vickers (b. 1940)
Title: “There Has to Be a Way”
Medium: Carbon drawing on paper
Dimensions: 7 x 7 inches
Date: March 1976
Signature/Inscription: Signed and inscribed “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76”
Notes: Originally gifted to the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, New York
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery (gift from the artist) → Private Collection, NYC → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC

This certificate confirms the authenticity and valuation of the above artwork for insurance and gallery documentation purposes.

Provenance Chain

  1. Gifted directly by Mary Vickers to the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC (1976)

  2. Private collector, New York

  3. Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — current owner

“There Has to Be a Way,” Mary Vickers (b. 1940), 1976, original carbon drawing on paper, 7 x 7 inches, signed and inscribed “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76”; created as a personal drawing for the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC.

A charming and humorous 1976 original carbon drawing by Mary Vickers, “There Has to Be a Way” showcases the artist’s whimsical side—far rarer than her sentimental figurative works. Created as a personal gift for the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery in New York, this intimate 7 x 7 inch signed drawing features Vickers’ expressive line work and warm, narrative wit. A delightful collectible for admirers of mid-century illustration, gallery ephemera, and original art tied to New York’s printmaking scene.

Artwork Description

In contrast to Mary Vickers’ well-known romantic realism and tender depictions of childhood, “There Has to Be a Way”reveals the artist’s playful sense of humor and effortless draftsmanship. Drawn in 1976, the image shows a man in visible dismay standing beside a bedridden figure wrapped head-to-toe in medical bandages, accompanied by the bold handwritten caption:
“There HAS to be a way!”

Rendered in delicate carbon pencil, the drawing features confident, fluid lines and a minimalistic cartoon style reminiscent of mid-century magazine illustration. The exaggerated expressions and carefully placed gestures highlight Vickers’ gift for storytelling, even in the smallest compositional details.

The inscription “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76” identifies the work as a personal drawing gifted by the artist to the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, the New York gallery that represented and published Vickers’ lithographs. This direct provenance makes the piece historically significant within her career and uniquely desirable to collectors of Vickers’ studio material.

Biography of Mary Vickers

Mary Vickers (born 1940, Birmingham, England) is a British-American artist celebrated for her emotionally rich graphite drawings, tender depictions of children, and highly collectible limited-edition lithographs of the 1970s–1990s. Trained in illustration and fine drawing, Vickers developed an early fascination with figurative storytelling—an approach that blends the influences of Victorian genre painting, early 20th-century illustration, and modern sentimental realism.

Vickers immigrated to the United States in the late 1960s, where she became a featured artist for several major print publishers, including the Mitch Morse Gallery of New York, which helped distribute her imagery nationwide. Her meticulous graphite works served as master drawings for lithograph editions that became immensely popular among American collectors of nostalgic art.

Throughout her career she exhibited across the U.S. and U.K., and her works entered private collections known for family-centered figurative art and emotional portraiture. In addition to her widely recognized realism, Vickers occasionally produced whimsical sketches—such as “There Has to Be a Way”—revealing the breadth of her expressive abilities and her warm relationships with gallery collaborators.

Today, Vickers’ original drawings are considered the most coveted examples of her work, representing the purity of her technique and the foundation of her published legacy.

Mary Vickers (b. 1940), “There Has to Be a Way,” 1976, carbon drawing on paper, 7 x 7 in., signed and inscribed “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76”; created as a personal gift for the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC. Provenance: Private collection; Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.

CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Mary Vickers (b. 1940)
Title: “There Has to Be a Way”
Medium: Carbon drawing on paper
Dimensions: 7 x 7 inches
Date: March 1976
Signature/Inscription: Signed and inscribed “Love Mary & Ron – March ’76”
Notes: Originally gifted to the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, New York
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery (gift from the artist) → Private Collection, NYC → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC

This certificate confirms the authenticity and valuation of the above artwork for insurance and gallery documentation purposes.

Provenance Chain

  1. Gifted directly by Mary Vickers to the owners of the Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC (1976)

  2. Private collector, New York

  3. Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — current owner

THE WORK OF MARY VICKERS AS SEEN THROUGH HER EYES

“One of the most important things to me is that people should feel and show love for each other. If I could embrace the world, I would. I am lucky though; I can reach many people through my work, and people tell me they feel love when they look at one of my paintings, and they are right, for I don’t feel that the painting is fully completed until it has been loved and owned by the person I really painted it for, even though I may never see the. I am not a person who can paint for myself alone; although I must paint something I like or feel is an extension of me. It gives me the ultimate pleasure when it has a loving owner, for in my mind, I feel that that person has accepted and loved me. It is almost like an actor who is stimulated by an approving audience. The public is a life-giving force essential for his work; so it is with mine.

I have painted many subjects during my career, appreciating all the beautiful things in life, and perhaps only seeing that side of them and ignoring the bad. My attitude is generally that way; for or bad depending on how one comes to look at it. I prefer to depict the beauty I see, maybe making it better than it really is, as in my way it works to combat the bad things that are a reality i life also.

My latest subject matter depicts the tender, loving side of a male-female relationship. My object is to show that this wonderful, natural relationship can be depicted in a tasteful, beautiful way—the way I feel we all would dream it should be—the way I know it is.

I have made many lovely friends from the people who admire my painting, for I feel they share my feelings on life, and it is encouraging to know that so many feel that way—with that attitude we have much going for us to achieve the ultimate we all must desire—“peace on earth.

EDUCATION

S.E. Essex School of Art

St. Martine School of Art

New York Art Student League

Pratt Institue Graphic Center, N.Y.

AS OF THE 1970’S

COLLECTIONS

Sarah Churchill, London, England

Duke & Duchess of Marlborough, London, England

T.  Huxley Jones, London, England

Mr. & Mrs. F.E. Willatts, London, England

Johnny Ray, London, England

Max Bygraves, London, England

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Alda, Rome, Italy

Sr. & Sra. Leonardo Nierman, Mexico City

Miss Peggy Lipton, Los Angeles, California

Frankie Land, Los Angeles, California

Guy Mitchell, Los Angeles, California

Mr. & Mrs. Harry Skleros, Commack, N.Y.

David Holliday, New York, N.Y.

Mr. & Mrs. James Leeds, Lexington, Kentucky

Mr. & Mrs. Jack Krauss, Nyack, N.Y.

Mr. & Mrs. G. King, Palm Beach, Florida

AWARDS

1967 -Lake Art Ass’n, N.Y. -Two first prizes in oils

1968 -Mystic Art Festival, Conn. -Second prize in oils

ONE WOMAN SHOWS

1969- Mitch Morse Gallery, Lawerence, N.Y.

1969- Verily Gallery, Northport, N.Y.

1970 -Mitch Morse Gallery II, New Hope, PA

1970- Priscilla’s Gallery, Pt. Washing, N.Y.

1971- Mitch Morse Gallery, New York, N.Y.

1971 -Loradel Gallery, Huntington, N.Y.

1972 -Lafayette Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky

1973

Marina Gallery, Nycak, N.Y.

Merrill Chase Galleris, Chicago, Illinois

Main Street Gallery, Kingston, PA

Art deL’ile, Paris, France

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS

Mitch More Gallery, New York, N.Y.

Merrill Chase Galleries, Chicago, Illinois

Lafayetter Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky

Marina Gallery, Nysack, N.Y.

Montmartre Gallery, St. Louis, MO

Main Streng Gallery, Kingston, PA

Gallery Francesca, San Juan, P.R.

Stars and Stripes, Memphis, Tenn

Galeria Veronese, New Orleans, LA

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