In a career spanning more than 50 years, Preston Hollow artist Mary Grace Eubank brought Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Barney, and their friends to colorful life in children’s books, boardgames, and a variety of other mediums.
Now retired, Eubank has happily returned to her roots in painting. At almost 81 years old, she blends the joy and curiosity that animated her cheerful characters with the perspective and insight shaped by her lifetime of experience.
These days, her large oils are loose, colorful, and express a feeling of unfettered feminine freedom. Sporting titles like Follow Your Heart, Leap of Faith, and Circle of Life, her impressionistic work explores female empowerment, the beauty of nature, and a hopeful outlook.
“When I started painting, everything morphed into something smiley and cute,” Eubank chuckled of her initial return to the art. “I’m finally developing a distinctive style.”
After graduating from SMU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Eubank worked as a designer for The Drawing Board in Dallas. That experience led the single mom to freelancing and creating educational materials for the Children’s Television Workshop.
Following an entre into Sesame Street in the mid-1970s, Eubank worked with another educational children’s favorite, The Electric Company, as well as the locally-spawned Barney & Friends, a television series that sent youngsters on learning adventures with a purple dinosaur and his pals.
Her partnership with the Children’s Television Workshop was a springboard for her career, Eubank explained. She worked primarily in Dallas for New York publishers including Random House and Simon & Schuster, and on games for companies including Milton Bradley, Mattel, and Fisher-Price.
“I went through coloring books and everything they give to the bottom of the pole, but I worked with so many incredible artists,” she recalled of Sesame Street. “It goes full-circle as to why I’m painting, because it’s so restrictive to do licensed characters. It’s very confining.”
Eubank felt an urge to return to oil painting when she made the decision to retire.
“It’s just so much fun,” she grinned, pointing to works on the walls that she’s finished in the last few months. “That freedom is gradually coming.”
For the last several years, Eubank and her friend, neighbor, and fellow artist Polly Gessell have participated in the North Dallas Artist Studio Tour, which this year occurred on April 25 and 26.
The 2026 tour invited art enthusiasts, collectors, and the simply curious to view recent works by neighborhood artists and artisans in their home studios, as opposed to the typical gallery setting.
“Most of my clients are primarily collectors, or I like to work with real estate agents who are staging homes,” Eubank commented. “And we have a wonderful place in Colorado. I’ve got a studio there, and I have a show there in the summer.”
Not showing signs of slowing down any time soon, the enthusiastic creator admitted there is still much she wants to do.
“Well, it’s my joy,” Eubank said of her daily painting habit. “I mean, I think it’s what keeps me young.”
Author
Josh Hickman
Josh Hickman is a national award-winning journalist, visual artist, sometime musician, and author of seven books. His writing For People Newspapers often focuses on arts & culture, local small businesses, local history & government, and interesting personal stories. His paintings include a commission for Dallas County and a donation to Parkland Memorial Hospital.
