Great Places Series - Buryanek and Snake Creek Recreation Areas

My path from my visit to Snake Creek Recreation Area

I love the diversity that one can find on the Missouri River. On a day in September I took the time to visit both Buryanek Recreation Area as well as Snake Creek Recreation Area. This area has history with the Lewis and Clark expedition. The story of Private George Shannon of the expedition became lost when he was sent to fetch strayed horses. Thinking the group had moved up river, Shannon raced to meet the boats. When he was found exhausted and starving two weeks later, he quickly learned that the expedition had been downstream from him the entire time.

I was visiting on a weekday so it was fairly quiet at Snake Creek, only a few campers were there enjoying the quiet solitude and overlook of Lake Francis Case that their campsites..... I took a walk along the beach for a bit before following Shannon Trail to a great scenic overlook and wooded areas.

The trail I took at Buryanek Recreation Area

The next stop was Buryanek which is a great place for boaters, anglers, and swimmers. I paused a moment to just enjoy the clear beautiful day before I continued to walk along the beach watching small fish in the shallows with a clear view of the bluffs across the river. As an artist who loves to play with abstract textures and colors I found rock formations at the end of the beach that captivated me with their textures and colors that were different than anything I had ever seen before.  

If you are interested in seeing the paintings from these two parks before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page!

Sketches from Buryanek Recreation Area

Great Places Series - Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve

On September 1st I visited a real treasure of a park, the Adams Homstead and Nature Preserve. This sprawling park of 1500 acres is just outside of North Sioux City with 10 miles of beautifully kept trails and so much wildlife that it feels like a fairy tale. I also loved learning about the sisters Mary and Maud Adams that so generously gifted this land to the state of South Dakota for it to become a park. 

There are two loops of trails, the River Loop which is 6 miles and the Lake Loop which is 4. I completed both as well as some of the more primitive trails such as one named "Mary's Adventure". With some backtracking thrown in my GPS Tracks shows that I completed 14 miles. Here is the map of the trails I took.

Lastly, I'll give you a look at a watercolor sketch based on the photos from the park!

Dacotah Prairie Museum Closing Reception

Next week will be the closing reception for my show at the Dacotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen. If you are in the area stop by between 1 and 3 on January 8th.

Hope to see you there!

New Series of Small Works

I recently had the inspiration/felt the need to paint a sort of aerial view series of landscapes. I chose to work small this time around and the panels that I am painting on range in size from 5"x5" to 10"x20". Currently I have two finished and the rest in varying stages of completion. The photo to the left is a page out of my sketch book. I don't always share my sketchbook pages because often pieces change for me once the paint touches the panel but it is always interesting to see changes take place and I decided to let you all in on the process this time.

Summer 2016

My first art fairs of 2016 are just around the corner! I am excited to be headed to some of the nation's top art festivals. The first three shows will take me to Oklahoma City, OK, Edina, MN and Columbus, OH. Each of the festivals I will be at expects seeing crowds of 200,000 and up over the course of three days! I really have a blast at art festivals; even if the hours get long, the day goes amazingly fast with so many people to meet and talk to.

So far I have the dates listed in the Upcoming Events section of the website. I am still waiting to hear from jury results for shows that fall later in the summer and will update the schedule as I find out each new show. Thanks for taking the time to check in on me! Hope to see you out there this summer!

Summer in Colorado

The plans for my trip to Colorado are coming together! I am truly looking forward to spending just shy of two weeks split between Denver, Loveland and Edwards. In the meantime, I am keeping busy painting and preparing supplies for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and Art on the Rockies. Because of the frenzy, not all of my work has been making it onto the website. I have been trying to document pieces as I finish them though and occasionally I even remember to post them to facebook or instagram!

JAM Art & Supplies Interview

Recently the team over at JAM Art & Supplies did an interview with me. They were great interviewers and I am thankful for them doing these "Inspired Interviews" with our local artists. There are a lot of great interviews and other blog entries on their website too. Please when you have time take a moment to check out all the great stuff they are up to. Also, here is the link to my interview Laura Jewell and Inspired Interview.

Studio 301

I was accepted into the very unique "Studio 301" exhibition at the Washington Pavilion this year. "Studio 301" invites 35 artists to set up temporary studios in the Visual Arts Center Everist Gallery and create a piece of artwork during an entire day. The event takes place on October 25th and the community is welcome to observe, communicate with the artists and enjoy the creative process unfolding. The event also includes a reception that is also open to the public from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.