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.
“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”.
Buchholz is an award winning artist who participates in many museum shows across the country. She 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 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
