Marla Luttrell is an award winning contemporary impressionist oil painter residing in Houston, Texas. Her work is strongly influenced by her practice of painting en plein air, or outside in nature. For her, painting is about experiencing our natural world...listening, feeling, and hopefully understanding. 

Marla grew up in northern Alabama amongst the large, deciduous trees in the lush foothills of the Appalachian mountains. As a child, she was encouraged to spend her free time outdoors playing and helping in the large family garden. "Trees are my favorite thing to paint" she says "probably because of how important they were to me as a child. I am especially drawn to large ones with interesting shapes and stories. Trees with twisted trunks and broken boughs speak to me of their struggles and resilience. I see them as symbols of perseverance."

Marla began studying painting in 2010 taking classes at a prestigious art academy in Houston. She continued her education through a private mentorship with a prominent American landscape artist. To further her craft, she takes workshops each year with a variety of artists. 

Marla is a member of the American Impressionist Society, American Women Artists, Oil Painters of America, and Outdoor Painters Society. She has competed in several national plein air painting competitions, and exhibited in several galleries and museums throughout the United States. 

Education

BA English Literature, Summa Cum Laude, Auburn University

MS Business Management, Florida Tech

Awards

2026 Honorable Mention, Studio Texas Online International Juried Exhibition

2026 First Place, Plein air event, American Women Artists 

2025 First Place, 44th Annual Open Painting, Sculpture & Graphics Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

2024 Honorable Mention, American Impressionist Society 5th Annual All Member Online Exhibition

2022 Honorable Mention, Paint Corsicana Plein Air Competition and Exhibition

2021 First Place, Landscapes, Houston Art Society

2021 First Honorable Mention, Plein Air, Houston Art Society

2021 Honorable Mention, Still Life, Houston Art Society

2020 First Place, Landscapes, Sugar Land Area Artists

2020 Honorable Mention, Still Life, Sugar Land Area Artists

2020 First Honorable Mention, Plein Air, Sugar Land Area Artists

Exhibitions

2026 Studio Texas Online International Juried Exhibition

2026 American Impressionist Society 27th Annual National Juried Exhibition, Bend, OR

2026 48th Annual Open Painting, Sculpture & Graphics Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

2026 96th Annual San Antonio Art League and Museum Juried Exhibition, San Antonio, TX

2026 American Women Artists, Of Mark & Meaning, Customs House Museum, Clarkesville, TN

2025 American Impressionist Society 6th Annual All Member Online Exhibition

2025 Studio Texas Annual Online Juried Competition

2025 American Women Artists, Vision of Nature, National Sporting Library & Museum, Middleburg, Virginia

2025 47th Annual Open Painting, Sculpture & Graphics Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

2025 95th Annual San Antonio Art League and Museum Juried Exhibition, San Antonio, TX

2024 Solo exhibit Looking Up: Sky, Branch and Bough: A Healing Return to Nature, Houston Public Library Central Campus, Houston, TX

2024 American Impressionist Society 5th Annual All Member Online Exhibition, Honorable Mention award

2024 New Orleans Art Association 25th Annual National Juried Show

2024 46th Annual Open Painting, Sculpture & Graphics Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

2022 En Plein Air, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

2022 Landscapes, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

2022 Plein Air Southwest National Plein Air Competition, Galveston, TX

2022 American Impressionist Society Associate Members Online Exhibition

2022 American Impressionist Society Small Works Showcase, Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, Taos, New Mexico

2022 13th Annual 6" Squared Live Exhibition and Sale, Costa Mesa, CA

2022 Paint Corsicana Plein Air Competition and Exhibition, Live Oaks Gallery, Columbus, TX

2021 Giants Among Us Solo Exhibition, Live Oaks Gallery, Columbus, TX

2021 Paint Kerville Plein Air Competition, Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, Kerville, TX

2021 Plein Air Southwest National Plein Air Competition, Galveston, TX

2021 The Bandits Take Galveston Plein Air Show, Third Coast Gallery, Galveston, TX

2021 American Impressionist Society Associate Members Online Exhibition

2021 Houston Art Society Spring Online Show

2020 Missouri Valley Impressionist Society National Juried Exhibition, SouthWind Art Gallery, Topeka, KS

2020 Huge Show Small Art Online Show and Sale

2020 11th Annual 6" Squared Exhibition and Sale, Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA

2019 Outdoor Painters Society Associate Member Show and Sale, Corsicana, TX

2019 10th Annual 6" Squared Exhibition and Sale, Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA

2018 NorthWind Fine Arts Gallery Annual Juried Show, NorthWind Fine Arts Gallery, Saranac Lake, NY

2018 Outdoor Painters Society Associate Members Show and Sale, Corsicana, TX