Mary Ann Carroll
The only woman of the group, Mary Ann Carroll was born in Sandersville, Georgia, and grew up in Fort Pierce, Florida. She always liked to draw, but when as a young girl she met Harold Newton, she became interested in painting. She attended night classes at Means Court School in Fort Pierce. Carroll eventually had seven children and worked at numerous odd jobs to support them, while continuing to paint.
In the early days, she would put her paintings in her 1964 Buick Electra and go around the state to sell. Her first paintings bear the signature “M. A. Snead,” referring to her maiden name. Today, at age sixty-six, she is pastor of the Foundation Revival Center in Fort Pierce. She is also an accomplished musician. She still paints and exhibits her work widely. Her advice: “You must believe in yourself, even if no one else does.”