Mary Butler
Boise, Idaho | Oil, Watercolor & Pastel | Plein Air & Figurative
“After forty years of nursing, I am fulfilling that dream to be an artist.”
Mary Butler knew from an early age that she wanted to be an artist. Raised in very rural Idaho, near the tiny town of Bliss—with a population of just 99—she began drawing on the walls as a toddler and declared in fourth grade that she would become an artist.
At fourteen, an aunt took Mary to an oil painting class. Afterward, she packed up her own painting supplies and gave them to Mary, helping set her on an artistic path that would remain with her throughout her life.
Mary studied art at the University of Idaho before changing direction and pursuing nursing. She earned a Bachelor of Nursing with a minor in Fine Arts from Boise State University and spent 40 years working as a nurse while raising two children in Boise.
Now retired from nursing, Mary is finally fulfilling the dream she carried with her from childhood.
Painting En Plein Air
Mary loves being outdoors and is fascinated by the way changing light and shadows transform the landscape. But perhaps most simply, she paints plein air because she loves to paint.
There is something particularly satisfying about working directly on canvas, feeling a loaded brush move across the surface and leave a clean stroke of paint. She enjoys the excitement of watching a painting come together and the anticipation of wondering what the next painting will become.
One of her favorite places to paint is Grimes Creek on a bluebird winter day, when the crisp landscape and beautiful light provide an irresistible combination.
A Creative Life of Exploration
Today, Mary’s work is intentionally exploratory. She paints portraits, creates fluid watercolors and pastels, and works in plein air oils. She enjoys taking classes, experimenting with different mediums, and following her creativity wherever it leads.
Her philosophy at this stage of her artistic journey is wonderfully uncomplicated:
“Just do it.”
For Mary, that means exploring new ideas, trying different mediums, and expanding her work in whatever direction her creativity takes her. Along the way, she has found a supportive community of creative friends who offer encouragement, ideas, and solid advice.
A Few Highlights
Mary doesn’t enter many competitions, but one recent achievement stands out: she received the Grand Prize at the 2025 Plein Air Painters of Idaho Members Show.
After decades of caring for others as a nurse, Mary is embracing the opportunity to spend this chapter of her life creating, experimenting, and becoming the artist she always knew she could be.
Beyond the Easel
When she isn’t painting, Mary enjoys creating, reading, and, of course, painting some more. Her lifelong love of creativity remains at the center of her life.
From drawing on the walls of her childhood home in rural Idaho to painting the landscapes around Boise, Mary’s artistic journey has taken a long and unexpected path—but she is finally exactly where she always intended to be.
Website: maryfbutler.com
Instagram: @marypaints4202
