Working for Sesame Street in New York for over 20 years opened doors to countless opportunities in the Children’s entertainment industry. Mary Grace redesigned or created games for pioneers like Fisher-Price, Milton Bradley, Mattel, and Hasbro. She illustrated books for Random House, Simon and Schuster, Western Publishing (Golden books), McMillan, and the top Christian book Publishers. As a lauded member of the industry’s fraternity of accredited illustrators, Mary Grace was invited to attend book signings and talks at book stores, libraries, churches, and schools.
A professional artist since graduating from SMU in 1966, Mary Grace Eubank is an internationally recognized, award-winning Illustrator with over 100 published Children’s books and games. After 50+ years of playfully employing the magic of whimsical characters from Big Bird to Barney, Mary Grace is advancing fearlessly into a more contrasting, spontaneous boldness in the Fine Arts. Using primarily oils and mixed media, she is creating impressionistic pieces that are every bit as enchanting as the illustrations that garnered her career. Her paintings reflect an expressive, soulful dialogue that is symbolic enough to unleash personal perspectives, but subtle enough to invite individual opinions and emotions. She is still illustrating stories, but in a more visual narrative.
Working for Sesame Street in New York for over 20 years opened doors to countless opportunities in the Children’s entertainment industry. Mary Grace redesigned or created games for pioneers like Fisher-Price, Milton Bradley, Mattel, and Hasbro. She illustrated books for Random House, Simon and Schuster, Western Publishing (Golden books), McMillan, and the top Christian book Publishers. As a lauded member of the industry’s fraternity of accredited illustrators, Mary Grace was invited to attend book signings and talks at book stores, libraries, churches, and schools.
Since retiring, Mary Grace is enjoying the departure from restrictive, commercial categorization and exploring looser, freer, artistic techniques with a style that is both versatile and contemporary. Her distinctive approach ranges from traditional to expressionistic as she creates thought-provoking abstracts, scenic landscapes, colorful still lives, and impressionistic portraits. From her studios in Dallas and Cordillera, Colorado, she is inventing pieces that are winning competitions, attracting collectors, and providing unique pieces for interior designers.
Mary Grace’s current work and journey is featured in the 2021 Summer and Fall editions of Dallas/Fort Worth Style and Design magazine. In April, she will present a collection of her integrated approach in a solo exhibition at Grailey’s in the Dallas Design District. with a remake of her successful 2021 show in the Vail Valley in July.
With boundless, optimistic enthusiasm, Mary Grace says, “It is impossible to retire that rewarding sense of artistic discovery that I am blessed to celebrate with JOY every day.”
#12. EUBANK STUDIO
5523 Del Roy Drive
Mary Grace Eubank
Painting
214-505-7805
mge143@aol.com
Instagram - @marygraceart143
Saturday April 23 &
Sunday April 24, 2022
10am to 5pm daily
Mary Grace Eubank is an internationally recognized, award-wining illustrator of more than 100 published children's books and games. Now retired from that aspect of her career she is exploring the world of fine are, primarily using oils to create pieces that are every bit as enchanting as the illustrations that garnered her reputation. "after more than 50 years of playfully employing the magic whimsical characters, from Big Bird to Barney, I am redirecting my creative energy." says Eubank. "I want my paintings to reflect expressive, soulful dialogue that is symbolic enough to unleash personal perspectives but subtle enough to invite individual opinions and emotions that synergize the distinctiveness of life. I'm still illustrating stories in a more visual narrative."
Only a few years into this adventure, Eubank is enjoying the departure from restrictive commercial categorization and exploring looser, freer artistic techniques with a style that is both abstract and impressionist. From her studio in Dallas and Colorado, she creates unique, award-wining pieces that attract collectors and interior designers. With boundless, optimistic enthusiasm, Eubank says " I find it impossible to retire that rewarding sense of artistic discovery that I am blessed to celebrate with joy every day."
Dallas Style & Design Summer 2021
Great show in Cordillera, Colorado! Made the work worth it! Especially as doing what you love is more fun than work!
Thanks to everyone involved.
Mary Grace Eubank (@supermg143) • Instagram photos and videos
by Christiana Lilly
photography by Richard Pruitt
Heart in the Storm/ Pandemic 2020
is a somber scene. On the canvas there are cascading showers of penetrating hues of deep blue that create symbolic, atmospheric darkness. On closer observation, one finds the residential grid of the suburbs on the left and the city skyline on the right. In the center of the painting is a red bleeding heart emerging from the ashes. With the impressionistic realism, the intensely emotional piece was created during the pandemic by Dallas artist Mary Grace Eubank to emphasize the strength of the human spirit with faith hope and resilience. The painting was honored with a Best in Show from The Artist Circle, earning Eubank an online solo exhibition that is currently available.
"I was trying to say something about all the people who have struggled." the painter says. "I tried to emphasize the strength of the human spirit and the promise of it getting better."
Eubank is inherently a storyteller - ever since her childhood when she would draw all of God's creatures she came across. Then, for five decades, she was a celebrated children's illustrator. Now, at 76, she's switched artistic lanes into fine art painting.
Eubank grew up in the East Texas town of Marshall, where she developed her skills as a young artist until she attended Southern Methodist University, where she graduated with a degree in fine arts. She began her professional career at the Drawing Board in Dallas while accumulating a litany of freelance jobs involving anything that inspired and enlightened children. Her love of animals shined through her word, and the cards she designed often featured whimsical fauna that would put smiles on children's faces. When the company got the license to characters from the Children's Television Workshop, Eubank was one of the assigned designers for the cards. She eventually left the Drawing Board and added Sesame Street to her freelance repertoire, opening doors to countless opportunities in the industry.
Illustrating became an all-consuming passion and career. She redesigned or created more than 25 board games for pioneers Fisher-Price, Milton Bradley, Mattel and Hasbro; this included developing her own license characters , such as Crocodile Dentist. She illustrated more than 100 books with Random House, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan. As a lauded member of the industry's fraternity of accredited illustrators, Eubank was invited to attend book signings and talks at book stored, libraries, churches and schools.
"I remember my mother reading Golden Books to me as a child, so reading them to my grandchildren was very special." she says.
As "Big Bird burnout" set in, Eubank accepted more assignments that featured her unique characters. She was recruited by the Lyons Group in Allen, Texas to participate in the formulation of the popular Barney characters, turning live-action into illustration and creating a stylebook that is essential for licensed characters. She also illustrated many of the first Barney books, games and products. The first book, Just Imagine, was written by Mary Hollingsworth and sold more than 1 million copies in six weeks. The two later collaborated on more than 30 Christian books in the '90s.
Never one to stop Eubank worked consistently through the years with clients on commissions and advertising projects, andshe created brands for corporate image promotions. She also attended numerous workshops with nationally and internationally known artists. This work allowed her to explore a range of styles and tiptoe into the fine arts. With studios at her home in Dallas and Colorado, she is investigating various subjects and situations while experimenting with different media and techniques. After so many years of the restrictive boundaries required to work in children's illustrations of licensed characters, Eubank says that painting with spontaneous abandonment is truly emancipating.
With the majority of her assignments and responsibilities in New York for so many years, Eubank did not unfold the fabric of the artist community in the metroplex. She works with collectors, clients, designers, decorators and galleries across the nation, but she says, "The real soul of the local creative anthropology is the artists themselves."
Eubank continues: " I am getting to know more of these interesting and amazing people. I want to absorb the synergy and power of their self-expression by sharing experiences and internal dynamics,"
Spackling with a palette knife or dipping her paint into sponges, tissue paper, toothbrushes and whatever else she can get her hands on, Eubank will work on six or seven paintings at the same time to allow each one to dry to just the right texture before she continues. Her style ranges from traditional to contemporary, and she creates thought-provoking abstracts, scenic landscapes, colorful still lifes and expressionistic animals. In October, she'll bring together her illustrative and abstract styles with a solo exhibit at Graileys Fine Wines in the Dallas Design District.
"I'm not starting ofer; I'm transitioning from one element to another," she says. "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."
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Dallas Style & Design
Fall 2021
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