Mary Farl Powers moved between the United States and Ireland until she settled in Dublin in the 1970s. Powers studied at the Dun Laoghaire School of Art and the National College of Art and Design. She joined the Graphic Studio, Dublin, in 1973 and developed an extensive body of print work which also incorporated cast paper and paper sculpture. She was a founding member of Aosdána in 1981, and the Graphic Studio Gallery in 1983. She served as a director of the Graphic Studio for many years.