Born in Beckenham, Kent, Mary Potter studied at the local art school. She studied at the Slade School of Art (1918–20) and exhibited with the 7 and 5 Society. Having painted portraits, after 1924, she focused on still life and landscapes. Living in Chiswick in the 1930s, she raised her family and had solo exhibitions. She briefly left London during the War. In 1951, Potter moved to Aldeburgh, Suffolk, and met musicians, Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. A retrospective was held in London (Whitechapel, 1964) followed by other solo and group shows. Potter’s 80th birthday was celebrated with a Tate exhibition (1980) and a Serpentine Gallery exhibition (1981). She won a John Moores Liverpool Exhibition prize shortly before her death in 1981.
