For 22 years, art has been Mary Ross Buchholz's devotion. Buchholz and her husband live and ranch in rural west Texas near the town of Eldorado. Coming from a pioneering ranching family, she offers a glimpse of her daily ranch life through her paintings, sculpture and the most primitive of mediums, charcoal and graphite. Buchholz strives to capture the authenticity of their way of life by gathering reference material from the ranch, and as a result, each piece she creates is a testament to her family's ranching traditions.
Buchholz relishes in creating the portrait, whether the subject is an animal or person; she enjoys subtlety rendering the details, the different textures and the individual characteristics of her subjects. It has been said that her drawings seem timeless and impart a simplicity without distractions. She strives to captivate the viewer both up-close and from a distance.
There are several elements that contribute to her work having realistic and three-dimensional qualities; and they are her: acute observation skills, knowledge of anatomy, and usage of a wide range of values which in turn all help to describe form.
Buchholz deliberately leads the viewer’s eye around various areas of her drawings. This can be achieved by designing works with the placement of detail in specific focal areas, having strong compositions, interesting lighting, and the use of negative space. Another important aspect of her work is having areas of rest. Much like beautifully composed music, art needs areas of rest or rather areas that have less detail or only subtlety suggested detail. Buchholz feels it is all a balancing act when creating an intriguing piece of artwork.
“The eyes are my favorite part of an animal. I feel like that’s where you’re able to see the life; as people say, the eye captures the soul of the horse. I want my pieces to not only look real, but feel real. I’m always mindful of the subject’s personality and hope each piece is portrayed with honesty and simplicity. I am blessed that what I enjoy drawing is right here, out my backdoor”.
"My art does not romanticize our way of life; it simply and honestly portrays the people, the animals, and the environment of the west. I hope my art conveys to the viewer the authenticity of our way of life."
Buchholz has participated in many museum shows across the country including Night of Artists at the Briscoe Museum in San Antonio, TX, Small Works Great Wonders at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage museum in Oklahoma City, OK, The Russell at the CM Russell Museum in Great Falls, MT, and Cowgirl Up! At the Desert Caballeros Museum in Wickenburg, AZ.
Recognition has come quickly as she has won numerous awards that include: Artist Award Sculptor for the 2020-2024 Night of Artists at the Briscoe Museum, 1st place in the 2019 Members Only Portrait Society of America still-life category and “Best Sketchbook Award” for Feb/Mar 2018 in the PleinAir.Salon Competition. Buchholz was also selected as the winner of the “Western Art Collector Award of Excellence” in the 10th Annual ARC Art Renewal Center Salon competition and as a finalist in the 11th, 12th, 13th ,and 14th ARC Salon Competitions.
Buchholz is represented by InSight Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX and Montana Trails Gallery in Bozeman, MT.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
