ARTIST STATEMENT:
My goal is to capture the American West as it is now, rather than the mythology of what it used to be.
In doing so, I like to use unconventional media, bright colors, and an illustrative/contemporary style. I still often paint with oils, but I primarily create mixed media drawings/collages on mylar (which is a plastic-y, semi-translucent material), along with a plethora of media; including ink, watercolor, paper, pencil, china marker, acrylic and pastel. It has become my signature style.
My themes are generally trout/flies (since I am an avid angler), and North American western wildlife. Pronghorn are a particular favorite. I use these traditional subjects to create colorful, stylized drawings that are multi-layered and unique.
I'm a fan of bright colors, bold lines, and hidden complexity.
BIO:
I started at a young age by drawing from the great Wyoming wilderness around me, and my emphasis has always been wildlife art.
I was fortunate enough to study art at the University of Wyoming (and minored in Drawing), and during that time I also studied abroad in Tours, France and participated in art classes there. I was heavily influenced by Post-Impressionism. Characteristics of these movements was using subjects pulled from direct observation, heavy stylistic adjustments and vibrant color, among others. I began to develop a looser, more impressionistic style. I also moved from solely grayscale drawings to using color with paint and ink. In college, I also did a lot of work from the human figure (which brought more life and movement to my work), as well as some architecture and still life.
After graduating from college, in 2008, I returned to Wyoming and worked to establish myself as a regional artist. I have been fly-fishing since an early age, and flies and trout are prevalent in my work. I dabble in wildlife photography, and usually use the photos for my art projects. I was first exposed to drawing on mylar in college, and have just continued to work and experiment with it by using a variety of dry and wet media, and layering it with paper and other surfaces. I and am continuing to work with it to develop a unique mixed media collage style. I now reside in Wellington, Colorado, and enjoy exploring and drawing from the Rocky Mountains nearby. I regularly show/sell my work in nationally juried shows, art galleries, local venues, and through my website.
I am fortunate to live in a place still covered in open land with wild animals. I want to depict that there still is a wilderness, a place where you can still see large game animals grazing right across the street, without romanticizing and looking back to the past.
Accomplishments:
Festival of the Arts, Saratoga, WY
2023
Selected for the Loveland Library Galleria’s First and Second Quarter Shows, in Loveland, CO. January 3-June 30, 2023.
Solo Show at the Paramount Gallery in Cheyenne, WY for the month of February.
Selected for Cheyenne Creativity Center’s “Spark of Inspiration” show in Cheyenne, WY. February 3 - March 6th.
Selected for the “Western Spirit Art Show,” at the CFD Old West Museum in Cheyenne WY. March - April 23.
Selected for “WILDLIFE ART Special Event 2023,” at Life in the West Art Gallery in Broomfield, CO. April 20-23
Selected for Cheyenne Art Haus’ “WyCo Art Show”, in Cheyenne, WY and Greeley, CO. May.
Selected for Arts Cheyenne’s, “Mystery Bag Art Challenge,” in Cheyenne, WY. May 1st-15th. Awarded 3rd place.
Selected for “Colorado Open Call Show,” R Gallery, Boulder, CO, Apr 26 - June 4, 2023.
Selected for the 2023 Festival of the Arts in Saratoga, WY. July 1-4. Awarded 2nd Place for Mixed Media.
Selected for the Nicolaysen Art Museum’s (Casper, WY) Gala Auction Call for Artwork. Artwork sold. Sept. 8th.
2022:
Selected for Cheyenne ArtHaus’, “Interpretations of Winter” show in Cheyenne, WY. Dec. 1-31, 2022.
Selected to paint a bear sculpture for the Chautauqua WinterFest Art in the Park, Boulder, CO. Dec - April, 2022.
Participated is Fort Collins Studio Tour & Preview Show at The Lincoln Center, Oct. 22-23, 2022.
Selected for Cheyenne ArtHaus’, “Alternative West” show in Cheyenne, WY. July 1-31, 2022.
Selected for and exhibited four pieces in the 2022 Festival of the Arts in Saratoga, WY. July 1-4, 2022.
Selected for the Boulder Art Association’s Annual National Juried Art Exhibit. April 27 - May 9 in Boulder, CO.
Selected for the Loveland Library Galleria’s Balance Show, from May-June 2022.
Feature article, “A Pillar of Conservation,” in the January 2022 edition of WYOMING WILDLIFE magazine.
2021:
Selected for the Lincoln Gallery’s 2021 Regional Fine Art Show. Sept. 10 - Sept. 30, 2021 in Loveland, CO.
Selected for Louisville Art Association’s National Fine Art Juried Art Show. Sept. 1 -12, 2021 in Louisville, CO.
Selected for and exhibited four pieces in the 2021 Festival of the Arts in Saratoga, WY.
Selected for R Gallery's "Spring: New Beginning,” juried art exhibit. March 3 - April 11, 2021 in Boulder, CO.
Selected for the Littleton Museum’s 55th Annual Own an Original: Liberating Humor juried show, from Nov. 20, 2020 - Jan. 4th, 2021.
2020:
Selected as an artist for the “Restore the Howl” project by the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project in October 2020. For that project, Molly contracted with RWMP to create a gray wolf themed art piece to be displayed publicly in Colorado (Soul Squared Brewing Company).
2019 and EARLIER:
Featured in: Women Have Been Voting in Wyoming for 150 Years, and Here Is How the State Is Celebrating article, Smithsonian Magazine, June 7, 2019.
Solo show from Sept. 1 – Oct. 31, 2019, at the Nicolaysen Contemporary Art Museum in Casper, WY.
Received a First Place award in Mixed Media for "European Mount" at the 2018 Festival of the Arts in Saratoga, WY.
Awarded a Contemporary Permanent Collection Purchase Award by the CFD Old West Museum at the Western Spirit Art Show in March of 2018 for the piece, "Quick Bite."
Accepted, exhibited, and sold artwork in the Nationally Juried Western Spirit Art Show at the CFD Old West Museum in 2021, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.
Selected to decorate a wrap around traffic control box in downtown Cheyenne, WY, by Leadership Cheyenne in 2013.
Selected and exhibited in nationally juried shows across the country, including:
4th Annual SAGE National Juried Show in Sheridan, WY in 2014
The "Call of the Wild" show at the Ciao Gallery in Jackson, WY in 2011
The "Animal Art Show" at the Irvine Art Association in Irvine, TX in 2010
Molly won the Juror’s Award and and the UW College of Health Sciences Purchase Award at the 33RD ANNUAL JURIED UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING STUDENT EXHIBITION in 2008.