Watercolor on paper by mid-century Texas artist Michael Frary (1918-2005). Frary painted countless watercolors of Texas landscapes. This one beautifully introduces human beings into the scene. Branches curl from both sides to form an inviting canopy under which the horsemen cross.

Image 21” x 29.5”

Frame 32” x 40”.

Michael Frary (1918-2005) studied architecture and art in California until he took a position with the McNay Art Institute in San Antonio in 1949. Three years later he joined the art faculty of The University of Texas at Austin, where he remained until his retirement in 1986. He was a prolific artist who became a standard-bearer of mid-century modernism. Whether landscape, still-life, or architectural, his paintings often included a buildup of paint that made them intriguing for their texture alone. In addition, his watercolors of the Texas landscape were showcased in three published books. He was equally gifted in abstraction and representation, and his often imaginary scenes always gave the sense of being places one wished were real, and half felt actually were.