Still Life, 1948, pastel on paper, 11 1/2 x 11 1/2, signed lower right: 6/16/48, May Schow, Schow’s floral still life images are rendered in Realist simplicity, an underlying characteristic across her body of work. This still life approaches its subject with a sense of wonder, cropped closely to examine and celebrate the plant’s organic form and movement. Schow’s parents emigrated from Norway and raised her in the Norwegian community of Clifton, Texas. She graduated from the College of Industrial Arts in Denton, now Texas Women’s University, in 1927, and would continue her education at Columbia University, where she earned her master’s degree. Schow studied in New York with Millard Sheets and Hans Hoffman, and in Texas with Alexandre Hogue, of whom her work shows the most influence. In addition to her significant work, Schow is also remembered for serving as the head of the art department at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, from 1937 to 1962.