Mary Rasmussen

Mary H. Rasmussen was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. She graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Applied Arts. Since moving to Midland, Texas, she has had extensive training in art. Mary studied with William Earle, a graduate of the Art Student League, for 16 years. She then studied with Doug Higgins, Ovanes Berbarian, William Scott Jennings, Zhang Wen Xin, and Richard Schmidt. Mary is dedicated to the "plein air' method whether she is painting on location or in front of a still life.

In her paintings, Mary places the emphasis on composition, color and value, and light effect. She has traveled through the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, and has a love for the southwest. She does many paintings from still life setups in her studio. Mary won the "Dillman Award" to study in Wisconsin through an American Woman Artist competition. She was quite pleased to be accepted as one of fifteen chosen by Richard Schmidt for a master workshop.

Mary has participated in every show presented by the American Women Artists, as well as those by the Southwest Impressionists Group. She also was chosen as the mural artist for the Clayton Williams Sr. Memorial Room in the Nita Stewart Haley Memorial Library, in whose Memorial show she has participated in and where the Southwest Impressionists hold their annual show.