Martin Grelle

Born and raised in Clifton, Texas, Martin and his wife, Joyce, live on a small ranch 6 miles out of town.  His studio sits in the picturesque Meridian Creek Valley, amid the wooded hills of Bosque County.

Martin began drawing and painting at an early age and was fortunate to have 2 members of the Cowboy Artists of America, James Boren and Melvin Warren, move to the Clifton area while he was in high school, which had a very important impact on his future direction and career.  Boren became his mentor for a few years, and Martin had his first one-man show at a local gallery within a year of graduating from high school in 1973.  Since then, he has produced more than 30 one-man exhibitions and has won a number of both regional and nationally recognized awards.

One of the highlights of his career and his life was being voted into membership with the Cowboy Artists of America in 1995, fulfilling a dream that began in the early 1970’s when he first met Boren and Warren.  He has won multiple awards at the annual CAA Exhibition and Sale and has served the organization both as President and as a Board member, as well as serving in those positions for the Joe Beeler Foundation.

Martin has also been featured in multiple art publications and books through the years and has been honored with important awards beyond the CAA, including being awarded the Prix de West Purchase Award at the National Cowboy Museum twice, the Artist of Excellence Award at the Booth Museum in 2020, and The Legacy Award at the Briscoe Museum in 2012.