Cindi Holt: Little Mouse on the Prairie
Artist Reception | Friday, January 9, 2026 | 6 pm
Artist Statement
“Inspired by the David Hockney/Vincent Van Gogh exhibition titled The Joy of Nature and Jarid Manos’ Great Plains Restoration Council, I was compelled to paint the Texas prairie. The flora and fauna are a feast for my eyes. I would like these paintings to convey the beauty and importance of untouched land and its inhabitants.
My first experience with a prairie was in 1979 when my husband Mike took me to Wheeler, Texas to visit The Sorensen Place, his family’s homestead. Rolling grasslands, wide open vistas, birds singing, and a big sky reminded me of the Pacific Ocean where I grew up. I felt at home. Mike’s great grandfather, Peder Jensen Sorensen, traveled from Denmark and settled the land in 1878. He built a two-bedroom, one-bath shotgun house and raised six children. The house is still enjoyed by the great, great grandchildren, as is the land. The spirits of bison and Indians coexisting can be felt, which creates a sense of peace and calm.”
Curator Comments
The magical moment when Cindi Holt became an artist is not what you might expect. Self-taught and inspired by the colorful world of her imagination, memories, and her immediate environment, interiors and landscapes are presented as a rich colorful visual experience that is captivating and enchanting. Holt’s intuitive approach to painting creates carefully delineated and curiously compressed scenes into a rhythmic and idealized painting. Her recent landscapes celebrate a place without shadows, reminiscent of a “peaceable kingdom.” Included are Texas-inspired subjects, from wildlife and wildflowers to city and country landscapes.
Cindi Holt’s paintings have graced prestigious holiday cards and are showcased in public murals, including commissions for Central Market, the George W. Bush Presidential Library, and the White House. Her notable “Texas Governor’s Mansion” series was exhibited at The Grace Museum in 2002, and her painting The Sam Houston Bedroom was purchased for the Museum’s permanent art collection in 2020. Holt’s unique style is currently adapted to the great outdoors in the Prairie series featured in this exhibition of her recent paintings.
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