Ealy Mays was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. He studied chemistry and biology, and once intended to become a physician — until Guadalajara, Mexico, and the work of Rufino Tamayo changed the course of his life. From there, his path led to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, and eventually to Paris, where he has lived and painted for decades.

His work is part of the permanent collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. — Chocolate Ex-Pats, a gift of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson.

Mays paints without a filter: what he sees, what he remembers, what belongs in the frame. His subjects move freely between the intimate and the political, the personal and the universal — always painted with the same honesty.

Studio Niebieski has worked closely with Ealy Mays for over a decade, managing his sales, exhibitions, and the stories behind each piece.