Biography

Mary Wilson was born in Los Angeles, California and moved with her parents to Texas when she was five years old. She is the sixth great-granddaughter of a colonel of the American Revolution and is the proud mother of a soldier in the U.S. Army.

Mary Wilson's great love of horses inspired her to draw them (almost obsessively) from a very young age, and it was those numerous drawings created throughout her childhood that led to the discovery and development of her artistic abilities. Upon entering her teens, she studied pastels and then oil painting from local San Antonio artist Betty Simmang, whose works were exhibited at the airport. Over the next 25 years she combined her painting with a business career, and has won prizes in several contests, including the landscape painting category at the Texas State Fair and the Cincinnati Civic Garden Center's Harvest Fair. Her work hangs in corporate collections, churches and private homes.

In 2003 and again in 2006, Ms. Wilson's paintings were among the top 100 finalists out of over two thousand entries each year from across the nation for the national Arts for the Parks competition. "Crown Mountain" took the honor in 2003, and in 2006 "Mission San Jose" was the winner of this prestigious award. Sadly, that was the final contest for Arts for the Parks, and they have since ceased operations. Arts for the Parks was one of the top juried shows in the nation, with a grand prize of $25,000 plus other monetary awards. 100 pieces were chosen to travel across the country each year. The goal of the competition was to enhance public awareness and support of national parks while showcasing the creative efforts of artists. Ms. Wilson considers herself very fortunate that she was able to attend the 2003 awards banquet at the Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming. It was a very patriotic event. You can view the past winners of the competition at the Grand Canyon Association Kolb Studio's website. They have very graciously kept the Top 100 works posted on their site.

In 2004 Ms. Wilson was diagnosed with a very serious and permanent illness, which forced her to retire from her business career at a young age. It did, however, provide more opportunity for her to expand her computer skills beyond office automation and database design/management into the more enriching pursuit of computer graphics. She now spends her days following a self-styled curriculum to enable her to become proficient with graphic design software. Rest assured, however, that she has no intention of permanently laying down her brush!

Ms. Wilson currently lives in San Antonio with her musician husband, Robert Reynolds, and miniature schnauzer.

Please direct inquiries to: Fine Art by Mary