“I love color and shape and all the nuances of both. When driving along, on some random road or highway, there may be an unusual rock formation, a derelict structure or a cloud bank at dusk or dawn, and all the wonderful visuals in between. It’s then time to stop, enjoy the moment and snap a photo to possibly incorporate into a future painting. Some things just seem to paint themselves; God has blessed me as one of the lucky ones who gets to hold the brush.” ~Bert Mayse
Henry “Bert” Mayse was born into a second generation cattle ranching family in central West Texas. Before learning his letters, he was constantly sketching with pencils in a Big Chief Tablet. At the tender age of three, his mom wrote “B” the first letter of his middle name for him to copy; he was quick to correct her saying “That’s not a bee; this is a bee.” as he sketched one of the many apian denizens of their flower garden.
Upon graduating from high school, Bert attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock and graduated with a BFA in Advertising Art and a minor in Marketing and Illustration. He spent the next thirty years in the graphic arts field working with advertising agencies and in-house art departments before venturing into the freelance market. His work has incorporated multiple mediums including acrylic, oils, watercolor, lino-cut and air brush. He was influenced by well-known artists from the “golden age of illustration” like N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish and later, became an active member of the Houston Society of Illustrators.
During his freelance period, he earned his teaching certificate and secured a position in the Katy Independent School District as an all-level art teacher. He worked with the district for eleven years and enjoyed teaching young artists how to interpret the world through drawing, painting, weaving and working with clay. It was a journey he thought he would never take, but he enjoyed every step of it.
Bert finds inspiration in the unexpected “find” while walking or driving, whether it be an iconic windmill against a pale sky, the shadows of a cactus snugged up against a rock or a fence or soaring canyon walls staged against an approaching storm. “There are so many serendipitous moments when a well-timed photo can become a finished canvas.”
Now, after retirement, Bert focuses on fine art, painting primarily with acrylics. He is married with four children and resides in Houston with his wife Jennifer and four pampered cats and a dog.