Mary Baxter

 

Rio Conchos at La Junta
by Mary Baxter

     Our region is not only blessed with jaw-droppingly stunning scenery, but also with artists who capture it beautifully.  We've been enjoying the work of painter and sculptor, Mary Baxter of Marfa.  Mary travels all over the Texas Mountain Trail region, sometimes painting for days and weeks at a time from her trailer.  Recently she was down in the Presidio-Terlingua area painting along the River Road, Hwy 170.

"I moved to the Big Bend region in 1994, when we had leased a ranch Southwest of Marfa for raising cattle. Most of the time I lived there by myself, checking water and putting out feed, and training some horses for extra income.

The landscape was growing on me and I began to paint my surroundings. I had previously studied printmaking at the University of Texas at San Antonio. This was in the pre-digital age and the only place to have film developed was in Alpine, two and a half hours away. So I learned to rely instead on sketches and notes for reference, a practice I still prefer to use today.

For several more years while I painted this area, I supported myself through training and trading horses, and sometimes working a season on the high-goal polo circuit in Florida or California.
Now I just paint and sculpt. I love my job, and I especially like that I can make my living off this land without having to alter it in any way."

 

Would you like to see more of Mary's work?  Click here to see her website.


Last Light Near Fresno Canyon
by Mary Baxter