AUSTIN, TX – On May 5, 2021, the Texas Senate recognized the contributions of Texas native and lifelong resident Martin Grelle for his contributions to the arts in Texas over his distinguished career. In a resolution authored by Sens. Bryan Hughes and Brian Birdwell, the Texas Senate honored the work and career of Martin Grelle for its contribution to capturing the beauty and majesty of the great state of Texas and for seeking to preserve a moment in time of the state’s history through his work as a “cowboy artist.”
From his earliest years as a boy growing up in scenic Central Texas, Martin knew he wanted to capture the majesty of God’s creations on canvas. Fortunately for him, he grew up “just down the road” from two legends of cowboy art, James Boren and Melvin Warren, who nurtured his love of art and helped hone his craft. With Boren’s help, Grelle was able to hold his first one-man show within a year of graduating from high school. After that auspicious beginning, Grelle hasn’t slowed down for a moment holding more than 30 one-man exhibits while receiving regional and national acclaim and awards.
Martin was inducted into the Cowboy Artists of America in 1995, the culmination of a career ambition since he originally began learning from Boren and Warren. Since that time, he has served on the board numerous times, has twice been elected president, and chaired the 50th anniversary celebration in 2015.
Grelle has also continued the tradition of mentoring aspiring artists, as Boren and Warren did for him, by actively working within his community and the art world to present, lecture, and hold workshops for young artists.
Whether it is capturing the vibrant colors of a spring field of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes, painting the stories of the Native Americans, or showing the life of Texas cowboys as they worked, and still work the range, Grelle’s art always manages to capture the grandeur of God’s creations in a way that can only reach their purest majesty on the backdrop of a Texas landscape. As the Texas Senate acknowledged today, Mr. Grelle is a Texas treasure, and his work is an enduring homage to the beauty of the Lone Star State.
Born and raised in Clifton, Texas, Grelle and his wife, Joyce, still live on a small ranch a few miles from town. His studio sits in the picturesque Meridian Creek Valley, surrounded by the oak and cedar-covered hills of Bosque County, just a short distance from his home, but also within a few miles of the family & friends who are so important in his life. He has two sons, Josh and Jordan, who have left home to pursue their own dreams, but who stay in touch frequently. Grelle’s parents, Ervin and Ella, have both passed from this life, but he still has his brothers, Carl and Marvin, living nearby, as well as his sister, Mary, who lives in Ft. Worth. Joyce’s 3 sons, Zach, Emitt and Carl, and their families are also close, and visit the ranch often.
