Mary Cassatt was born and raised in America in the mid nineteenth century. Mary was the daughter of a stock broker father and her mother came from a family of wealthy bankers.  Because of her family's wealth they lived in Germany and France for a few years when she was a child. When she was 16 she started studying art. 
After her initial training she moved to France for further art instruction.  Mary  ended up staying there for most of her life and career.  She was known for her independent and at times  stubborn personality.  I read once that when she got angry she would pound her fist on the table.  While living in France Ms. Cassatt was invited by Degas to join the artist group called the Impressionist (she was the only American artist to have her work displayed with them in Paris).  One of her artist friends suggested to Mary that she should paint everyday scenes with women and children.  This idea didn't appeal to her at first but she would eventually become famous for painting many pieces of this genre. At this time in history women artists weren't taken seriously but because of artist like Cassatt the art world had to admit women could be talented too.
Read more about Mary Cassatt: Click here
View her art: Click here!

Recently my sister, Ruth, bought me a Nintendo game for DS.  The game is called "Art Academy".  I'm not really big into digital art normally but this game is a lot of fun. It has a little character, named Vince, who walks you through different art principles.  Vince teaches you to use different art tools and techniques.  It's actually pretty responsive to the stylus and I think is a pretty good introduction for adults or children who are interested in art but don't have a space to practice. It's tidy, you don't have to worry about paint marks on furniture and it's inspiring. Additionally it's not too expensive either, which is good if you aren't willing to lay out a lot for art supplies right away.  (Not getting paid by Nintendo to endorse this game!) If you like Nintendo games and art this is a fun place to start.