Welcome to the World of Mary Louise Holt

Nature’s Past, a Historical Perspective

Today it is hard to imagine that the eastern half of the United States was once a vast wilderness of massive old growth forests, prairies, cane lands, pristine rivers and a rich diversity of plants and animals. As a child growing up in the Ohio Valley, my lively imagination carried me back to that time. The tall buildings of the city were transformed into immense forests that towered over me. I learned that elk, mountain lions, buffalo and bear once roamed free on this great land. But when I grew up and studied its natural history I became even more fascinated with what I discovered.

Imagine billions, yes billions, of migrating passenger pigeons so numerous they could eclipse the sun for three days as they passed overhead. Parakeets with brilliantly colored plumage contrasted against the pure, white snow of the forest. Imagine centuries-old forests with some trees so immense that men and horses could find shelter inside. There were places in the Eastern American Wilderness where the forest canopy was so thick the sunlight couldn’t reach the woodland floor. These forests were known to the first European settlers as “the shades of death.” They might have called it that because some of the Eastern Woodland Indians of those forests painted their faces with hideous colors designed to terrify the unsuspecting settlers with blood-curdling screams as they attacked.

This is what the first European settlers saw and experienced as they traveled west through the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. But a little known fact is that this vast wilderness was not a wilderness at all. Those same Eastern Woodland Indians had been altering their environment for centuries to create more sources of food. They did this by burning or girdling some forest trees to kill them and re-planting with more fruit and nut-bearing trees. They created extensive prairies that made game easier to hunt in open sunny areas. This also allowed a greater diversity of plants and animals to thrive there. By these practices they lived sustainably with nature by creating more sources of nutritious food for themselves as well as the wildlife. They not only believed that the land and all living things were sacred but were also a treasure in trust. All of nature was given to them to use wisely and well so it could be passed down to future generations. Only now in the 21st century are we starting to embrace this concept. When the first Europeans came to this continent they thought of the Indians as savages. But in some ways I believe they were ahead of their time.

Nature’s Present

I love painting nature in all its varied forms. I enjoy painting creatures large and small, florals, landscapes and even the human form. My goal as an artist is to create beautiful images filled with natural light and lush color that will give the collector pleasure for many years to come.

The Future

I hope you enjoy my work depicting nature’s past and present. I also hope you appreciate, as I do, the great natural treasures that are now in OUR trust.

All images and artworks represented on this site are copyrighted by Mary Louise Holt and are not to be reproduced without written permission by the artist.

Janelle: Portrait Commission.

I am available for portrait commissions too!

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