Untitled by Mary Chenoweth, Wood Printing Block
Artist Biography
Mary Chenoweth was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1918, spending most of her childhood in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She trained for the United States Coast Guard in 1945, before coming to Colorado in 1949 to complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the University of Denver in 1950. She later earned her Master of Fine Arts Degree from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, in 1953.
That same year, Mary came back to Colorado to teach printmaking at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. In 1957, she joined the Colorado College faculty, as Graphic Arts Instructor, then Assistant Professor from 1963 to 1972, becoming Associate Professor until 1982, and was made Full Professor upon her retirement in 1983.
Alongside teaching, and after retirement, Chenoweth was a prolific artist. She was proficient in sculpture; woodcarving and woodcut; silkscreen; watercolor and oil painting. She made outstanding pen and ink drawings; etchings; collage; and unique hand-made postcards. Continually experimenting and expanding her artwork, her creations were exhibited nationwide, with many clients. Her travels over the globe enriched her work. The large, main entry doors of the Broadmoor Community Church in Colorado Springs are an excellent example of her design and carving ability.
Mary demonstrated her sense of humor in the postcards sent to friends all over the country and the world. Each individually designed, they were often framed and preserved by the recipients.
