Meet our Featured Artists —a showcase celebrating the creativity and talent of EACA members. Explore their stories, inspirations, and artwork that make the Eldorado art community so vibrant.
🎨 FEATURED ARTIST (November 2025)
Whimsy in Paper and Play: The Art of Mary Ellen Matthews
“A touch of humor can make people more lighthearted.” — Mary Ellen Matthews
When artist Mary Ellen Matthews decided to learn something new during the pandemic, she didn’t expect it would lead to a menagerie of mischievous papier-mâché animals that radiate joy and humor. Splitting her time between Santa Fe and San Antonio, Mary Ellen turned to YouTube tutorials and a healthy dose of curiosity to teach herself sculpture—an artistic leap that quickly became her passion.
Each sculpture invites the viewer to smile, to pause, and to find joy in the small absurdities of the world — a reminder that art can be both beautifully made and wonderfully mischievous. Her creations, from comic-strip-covered jackrabbits to striped dogs and expressive crows, are as much about spirit as they are about form. Each piece brims with personality—tongues out, whiskers wild, and poses that seem ready to spring into life. Using papier-mâché, handmade papers, and fragments of printmaking and assemblage, she builds characters that bridge fine art and storytelling. “I wanted to make them whimsical,” she explains. “A touch of humor can make people more lighthearted.” That sentiment infuses every sculpture—turning recycled materials into moments of delight. In her studio, surrounded by brushes, fabric scraps, and vibrant papers, Mary Ellen shapes each animal by hand, layer by layer. The result is an evolving world of color and texture—a testament to reinvention, imagination, and the belief that art can lift the spirit one smile at a time. Mary Ellen Matthews was a featured participant in the 2025 Eldorado Studio Tour™, welcoming visitors to Studio #2.