Maryjo Hartenberger was born in Nagoya, Japan, and currently lives in Woodstock, New York. Maryjo earned her B.F.A. in dance from North Carolina School of the Arts, where she audited classes in the Visual Arts department. Maryjo studied at the Art Students League of New York with Harvey Dinnerstein, Gregg Kreutz and Michael Burban. She also studied sumi-e under her friend and mentor Sensei Koho Yamamoto.

Maryjo has exhibited her work at the Art Students League, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Sumi-e Society of New York, and the Upfront Gallery in Kingston, New York.

In addition to painting, Maryjo has danced for the Staatstheater Kassel in Germany and toured professionally playing the electric bass with several rock bands. She has two children and three dogs.