Martin
Grelle lives with his wife, Terri, and their children
near the small, Central Texas town of Clifton, just
a few miles from where he was born. Rich
in beauty and history, the area has become a mecca
for artists, which is one reason why the artist has
spent his whole life there.
Many of his closest friends are artists,
and they gather to see each other’s work, exchange
ideas, and just “shoot the breeze”. Grelle
treasures the camaraderie among these artist friends
and the rare opportunity it affords him.
Grelle’s work reaches far beyond his Texas
home conveying the spirit, drama, beauty and vastness
of the American West. Whether painting a Native American
in a dramatic setting or a working cowboy on the
range, he captures the essence of the West in his
historically-accurate, picturesque, peaceful, yet
compelling, images. He enjoys the Cowboy Artists
of America’s trail ride each year, and manages
to spend some time occasionally working cattle with
local friends. He is proud of the Native American
part of his ancestry and studies diligently to portray
their culture accurately and sensitively. Grelle
is able to take even the most mundane daily task
and elevate it to a new level in each painting. This
is particularly true in Peaceful Morn as the pair
pause to allow the horse to drink. Grelle captures
them in the most intimate and dramatic setting, giving
it all an overwhelming sense of peace. Sometimes
he adds a note of humor as in Offering to the River
Spirit where the Asparoke are indeed giving an offering,
but rather than offering a piece of their own finery,
they are offering the River Spirit something captured
from an enemy tribe – something special, but
not integral to their own existence.
Grelle began painting at an early age. With the
guidance of Western artists James Boren and Melvin
Warren, both of whom settled in the Clifton area
while he was in high school, Grelle was able to become
a full-time artist in his early 20s. Since that time,
he has studied, traveled widely, and sought subject
matter throughout the American West. Working primarily
in oils on canvas, Grelle marries his figures with
the landscape in a painterly style rich in vibrant
color.
Grelle has been profiled in many publications, including
Southwest Art, American Cowboy, Art of the West,
Western Horseman, The Equine Image, Art Talk, Persimmon
Hill, and InformArt. His work has also been featured
on the covers of several magazines and on various
historical novels published by the University of
Nebraska Press.
Elected to the Cowboy Artists of
America in 1995, Grelle is one of the youngest
active members and
won the People’s Choice Award at the CAA exhibition
in October 2002. Grelle’s painting, Teller
of Tales, received the top award at the 2002 Prix
de West Invitational held at the National Cowboy
and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City and
was chosen for inclusion in the museum’s permanent
collection. The artist is represented by Overland
Gallery of Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, where
he has enjoyed one-man shows each March since 1989. |
