Kathy Wilkening stopped by yesterday to give me a quilt that she and Linda Clark made for me in appreciation of my work at Pioneer Trails Regional Museum. It had been on loan to the museum since 2003, but now it is in my proud possession. What a magnificent piece of work! I put it over a living room chair last night and the more I looked, the more I admired it. Thank you so much, Kathy and Linda. It really means a lot to me.
Detail of “Language of the Plains” Quilt
Here are some more images from the reception for my “Prairie Territory” art exhibit at Dickinson State University on August 30th. I’d like to thank all of you who came to the reception and showed your support, as well as the staff of Dickinson State University Art Gallery. It was an honor to show my work in your spacious place. And to the art students who are enrolled there, I wish you the very best of luck on your journey!
I had a chance to talk to a bunch of art students yesterday during the reception for my “Prairie Territory” exhibit. It was fun to hear what they thought and what they were curious about, and I hope that they received some benefit from my experience.
“Prairie Territory” Exhibit at Dickinson State University
Dickinson State University Art Gallery will host a reception for my “Prairie Territory” exhibit today from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Klinefelter Hall. Pastel drawings of North Dakota landscapes, horses, and buffalo will be featured, along with some digital photographs of cottonwood trees. I’m really looking forward to seeing how everything looks in that space, and hope to see some of you there!
Blue Buffalo
More details were added to my drawing of prairie light this afternoon. I think that June and September might be the two most beautiful months on the North Dakota grasslands.
Prairie Light
I got back to work on my “Land of Grass” drawing this morning. It kind of got set aside for my vacation, and has just been waiting for more attention. I went over the strip of sky and the background butte with blue and a little grey. It’s a balancing act, finding time to enjoy the summer, work in the garden, take pictures for new material, etc. As I looked over the artwork of Susan Hertel in a retrospective book last night, I saw many things for the first time, even though I’ve paged through it quite a few times. I guess it’s good to take your time and finish your work off just the way you want it.
Land of Grass
I ordered a book about the artist Emily Carr, which deals with her isolation as a painter in the northwest. Thought it might contain some useful tidbits! The title is Emily Carr: On the Edge of Nowhere. I’ll let you know if I learn something from it.
It’s very hard to drag myself indoors this time of year, as summer slips away. I managed to get something done on my “September Grasslands” drawing today, but it was kind of a challenge.
September Grasslands
I’ve been doing some yard and garden chores, organizing some household stuff, and getting more work done on a badlands drawing.
Prairie Light
That’s pretty much the essence of a prairie landscape, wouldn’t you say? I guess you woudn’t really even need the trees! These drawings of the badlands in September have a very pleasing combination of grey skies and saturated, colorful grass. I haven’t really done very much with grey skies in my landscape drawings until now.
I’ve received notice of a new art book about Sheila Fell, an English landscape painter who was inspired by the landscape of her childhood in rural Cumberland. It sounds like something that would be of interest to me, and I may have to check it out when it’s released.
Clouds, Trees, Grass
I’m enjoying working on images of the prairie in September, and made some progress on “September Grasslands” this morning.
September Grasslands