I am a western conservation artist focused on painting the heritage, wildlife and open lands of the west, and in connecting humanity with nature. My style is sometimes called modern Fauvist in inspiration, bright in color and not reliant on colors to be true to nature. I hope to carry a message of stewardship and conservation with in my art.
The land and animals of the west captured the imagination of expressionistic/fauvist artist Mary Arnold from the start. Growing up on her parent’s farm aware of the importance of land and animal stewardship, she never tires of capturing that concept in her visual art. Arnold holds a BBA from University of Texas, MBA from Thunderbird/ASU, and continues artistic studies with notable wildlife artists.
Mary Arnold explores the theme of heritage, wildlife and land conservation as Artist in Residence for land trusts and national parks, recently serving residencies in Bighorn Canyon NRA, Craters of the Moon, Payette Land Trust, Land Trust of the Treasure Valley, and Bears Ears National Monument. Her body of work from the Bears Ears residency will be on exhibit in the Eccles Foyer Gallery at the Sears Art Museum in St George, Utah, November 2026 through January 2027.
Arnold was awarded a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts and Idaho Commission on the Arts in support of the Centennial residency at Craters of the Moon. Through residencies and her support of conservation organizations, she studies the connection between the land and animals, capturing a sense of place for these special preserves and the challenges of species in sometimes-harsh climates. For 2026 she is Artist in Residence for the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust out of Pocatello, Idaho, furthering her studies of the importance of migration connections.
Arnold’s notion of an animal/landscape’s soul revealing itself lies in her childhood experiences exploring Idaho’s fields, riding horses and rodeoing, spending time in the mountains, playing hide and go seek with her dogs in the corn fields. She continues to promote conservation in her art. Inspired by her love of the west and the animals that call it home, she remains a strong advocate for the environment and hopes that her art broadens a message of advocacy for protecting and sustaining open spaces and wildlife. Her 2022 mural “Live and Let Live” for the Conservation Voters of Idaho and the Garden City Placemaking Fund reveals her special love of bears and is installed on the old Vall-eBike building in Garden City, Idaho.
