Meet Maym
Hi, I’m Maym – I also go by Mary. Maym originated as my nickname. I’ve used it to sign my artwork since I was a little girl. I work from my studio in our house/barn on a small ranch 40 minutes from Laramie, Wyoming. It’s remote and it’s wonderful! We have cows, sheep, horses, mules, dogs, cats and lots of open space. It’s a special way to live and I am grateful. Not a day goes by without sight or a sound that gives me an inspiration to add to a long list of art projects.
I’m a maker of things – focusing on printmaking and painting, my work reflects my surroundings – those inspirations that hit me and won’t let go. I try to pause that moment while adding my emotions and gratitude. You might call it a visual form of story telling or visual prose. The stories surface through art I create. My fine art spins off in multiple directions to what I call “functional art”. Many of my projects came from necessity – finding myself needing things, I would adapt my artwork to create something that could be used at home.
I believe that art enriches the lives of all people. My hope is that by sharing my stories, they can become your stories as well.
My background . . . I grew up on a ranch, the oldest of four girls – poor dad relied on us for help and taught us how to do everything. We learned to love and respect the land and all god’s creatures – we gained an appreciation of nature’s bounty and the value of hard work. The way of life was embedded in my soul and art became my passion and my outlet. Decades later, enriched by chronicles of family and life on the land, I follow my dreams of making art and telling the story of a simple rural life. I hope to lend the simple qualities of my life with you.
Largely a self-taught artist except for a few years studying art at the University of Wyoming. Raising a family and paying the bills that go along with ranching necessitated putting art on the back burner at times. Now, with my family grown, I have more time to devote to my art. I still have to balance my creative time with my job as the director of the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials. Yet, this along with my life on the ranch gives me so much artistic inspiration.
What inspires me . . . I am influenced by men and women who’ve taught me that the call of sand hill cranes mark the advent of spring, the deer’s coat changes blue as fall gets near and a cow heavy with calf will isolate herself as she prepares to calve. These subtle nuances of life offer boundless inspirations for those that notice. This mindset is the foundation that shapes my life and ultimately laid the cornerstone for the art I create.
I live a simple life . . . We have chosen to follow this path, guardians of the land and livestock. Our wealth is measured in the sunsets on the high plains, the call of birds as spring awakens and the quiet murmur of the ewe as she nuzzles her newborn lambs. This lifestyle is threatened and understood by few. Perhaps, by sharing my story and my art, the world will see things through different eyes.
I’d love to send you updates!
Etchings
Working primarily in Intaglio Printmaking – it combines Maym’ love of drawing with opportunities for tonal and textural variations that lend emotive qualities to the work. Intaglio involves incising lines and marks into a copper plate that is later inked and the image transferred to paper through a press.
