ARTIST STATEMENT:
My work explores the West as it is and the West as I imagine it.
I grew up in Wyoming and now live in Colorado, and the landscapes, wildlife and waters of the American West have always shaped the way I see the world. I'm interested in the West as a living, contemporary place—not simply the mythology of what it used to be. To me, it is young, vibrant, colorful and constantly changing.
I draw from my own experiences outdoors: the animals I've encountered, the rivers I've fished and the landscapes I've spent time in. Trout, flies and fly-fishing appear frequently in my work because I'm an avid angler, while Western wildlife—from pronghorn antelope and bison to elk, bighorn sheep and the occasional jackalope—provides an endless source of inspiration.
Sometimes I draw what I see. Sometimes I draw what I wish I could see.
That freedom has led me to blur the line between observation and imagination, combining familiar Western subjects in unexpected ways. A bison might wear the colors of a rainbow trout, bighorn sheep might carry the brilliant pattern of a brookie, and creatures of folklore can exist comfortably alongside real wildlife. Even in my more traditional work, I'm less interested in strict realism than in capturing the energy, personality and sense of place I find outdoors.
My materials reflect that same sense of experimentation. Although I continue to paint in oils, much of my work consists of mixed media drawings and collages created on Mylar, a semi-translucent surface that allows me to build imagery through layers. Ink, watercolor, paper, pencil, china marker, acrylic and pastel overlap and interact, creating a style that has become a signature of my work.
I am drawn to bright color, bold lines and hidden complexity—details that reveal themselves slowly the longer you look.
Ultimately, my work is rooted in paying attention: getting outside, observing your surroundings and allowing your own experiences to shape how you see a place. I don't want to recreate someone else's idea of the American West.
I want to show you mine.
Biography:
Molly’s Studio
Molly Box (McCarty) grew up in Wyoming, where wildlife, open spaces and time spent outdoors provided some of her earliest artistic subjects. She began drawing the animals she encountered around her at a young age, establishing a connection between art and the natural world that continues to shape her work today.
Molly studied art at the University of Wyoming, where she also minored in Drawing. During college, she studied abroad in Tours, France, taking art courses and developing an appreciation for Post-Impressionism and its expressive use of color, observation and interpretation. Her studies of the human figure introduced greater movement and gesture into her work, while experimentation with painting and ink gradually moved her beyond the grayscale drawings of her earlier years toward the vibrant color that now defines much of her work.
It was also during college that Molly was first introduced to drawing on Mylar. She continued experimenting with the translucent surface after graduation, layering ink, watercolor, pencil, china marker, pastel, acrylic, paper and other materials to develop the distinctive mixed media approach that has become a signature of her work.
After graduating in 2008, Molly returned to Wyoming and began establishing herself as a regional artist. A lifelong angler, she naturally brought her love of fly-fishing into her studio, and trout, flies and anglers became recurring subjects alongside the Western wildlife she had drawn since childhood. Wildlife photography also became part of her creative process, providing reference material gathered from her own experiences outdoors.
Today, Molly lives and works in Wellington, Colorado, drawing continued inspiration from the Rocky Mountains and the wildlife, rivers and remaining open spaces of the West. Her work has been exhibited and sold through nationally juried exhibitions, galleries, art festivals and other venues throughout the region.
At the center of her work is a fascination with the West as it exists today—not as a nostalgic version of what it once was. It is still a place where wild animals cross roads, trout move through mountain streams and large stretches of open country remain just beyond the doorstep.
Molly's work celebrates that living West while increasingly making room for the one she imagines, too: colorful, contemporary, occasionally unexpected and always a little wild.
Accomplishments:
Festival of the Arts, Saratoga, WY
2026:
Invited to and participated in Cheyenne Creativity Center’s 2nd Annual Invitational Show. February 1 - March 1
Selected by the City of Fort Collins Visual Arts Department to hang work in City Hall. Feb. 13 -June 12.
Selected for the “Western Spirit Art Show,” at the CFD Old West Museum in Cheyenne WY. March - April.
Invited to paint a guitar for auction to benefit Off the Hook Arts in Fort Collins, CO. (June)
Invited to submit work for the Fort Collins, CO, “Deck of Art,” and accompanying gallery shows at Cornerstone Gallery and the Center for Creativity in Fort Collins, CO. (Shows run Sept-Dec.)
Selected to paint a piano for the town of Wellington, CO (July)
Selected for the 2026 Festival of the Arts in Saratoga, WY.
2025:
Invited to publish 13 drawings in the Rocky Mountain Anthology, published by Mountaineer Books. Scheduled to be released in 2027.
Participated is Fort Collins Studio Tour & Preview Show at the Center for Creativity. Oct 25-26
Five pieces selected for the Nicolaysen Art Museum’s (Casper, WY) Gala Auction in Sept. All pieces sold.
Selected to paint a birdhouse for Chautauqua Park, Boulder, CO.
Selected for Main Street Gallery’s Juried FINE ART SHOW in Brighton, CO. Oct. 10-29
Selected for Valkarie Gallery’s “Our Kindred Fauna Exhibition in Denver, CO. Oct. 1 - Nov. 2
Selected for the 2025 Festival of the Arts in Saratoga, WY.
Selected for the “Western Spirit Art Show,” at the CFD Old West Museum in Cheyenne WY. March - April.
2024:
Featured in “South Fort Collins Magazine”, August 2024.
Selected for the 2024 Festival of the Arts in Saratoga, WY. July 5-7.
Selected for the “Western Spirit Art Show,” at the CFD Old West Museum in Cheyenne WY. March - April.
“Snowy Snuggles,” featured on the cover of the Dec.-Jan. edition of “Discover Fort Collins” magazine.
Invited to Cheyenne Creativity Center’s First Annual Local Artists Invitational.
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.
Mixed Media Drawing, 18” x 24”