Some things about Mary

Personal Life

• Mary was born in Ceres, California in 1914.
• Mary went to college in the 30's and became a teacher.
• She married William Bucknam II in 1945. They had two children together, William III and Charles.
• Mary has 5 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, and one more great grandchild on the way!
• Mary loves to travel. She has spent time in Europe, Asia, Australia, many Pacific Island groups, Central America, South America, and all over the USA and Canada.
• Mary still lives on her own and drives. Pretty amazing for a 95 year old!

Her Life as an Artist

Mary took art classes in high school and enjoyed them a lot, but was not able to persue painting further once she graduated. She went on to graduate from college, earned her teaching credentials and became an elementary school teacher. Once Mary had her sons, she stopped teaching for a few years and this gave her the opportunity to pick up painting again. The first thing she painted was a cowboy mural on the boys' bedroom wall. Mary experimented a lot with different media and took a liking to watercolor, which became her primary medium. She still works a little bit with oils and mixed media, but 95% of her paintings are watercolor. One of Mary's major influences has been her travels. She enjoys painting plein air and also from photos that she takes on her trips. As a result of this, most of her paintings are landscapes. Mary is a member of the Central California Art Association and also shows her work at the Stanislaus County Fair every year. Mary loves painting so much that even at 95 years old and with a hand tremor, she still paints every day!

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