STATE OF THE ART |
KANSAS
The Artistic Perspective
presented by SouthWind Gallery
STATE OF THE ART |
KANSAS
The Artistic Perspective
presented by SouthWind Gallery
First edition 2011 State of the Art|KANSAS Copyright © 2011 by SouthWind Gallery at Framewoods of Topeka, Inc., 3074 SW 29th, Topeka, KS 66614. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Published by SouthWind Gallery, 3074 SW 29th, Topeka, KS 66614. 785.273.5994. First Edition Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: ISBN 978-0-615-49528 Managing Editor Art Editor /Designer Content/Production Coordinator
Sharon E. Hotchkiss Michelle Levian Sara McBride
Printed by: Jostens Commercial Printers, Topeka, Kansas The copyrights to the paintings in this book are held by the publisher unless otherwise stated.
On the cover: Westward Glory Cally Krallman
Acrylic
20” x 16”
www.SouthWindArtGallery.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Artistic Perspective
Page 5
Introduction
Page 6
About SouthWind Gallery
Page 7
About the Judges
Pages 8-21
Award Winners
Pages 22-165
Accepted Artists in Alphabetical Order
Page 168-170
Sponsors
Page 171
Artist Index
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INTRODUCTION
“The Kansas 150 Art Competition” is the centerpiece of SouthWind Gallery’s participation in Savor Kansas, a month long celebration of the Kansas Sesquicentennial. An article in Southwest Art Magazine about an annual celebration of arts and culture was the genesis for Savor Kansas. The concept of Savor Kansas was to showcase each of the visual, performing and culinary arts in Kansas during the month of June 2011. Each organization involved created and funded its own event which required the efforts of many individuals to work together to make Savor Kansas a reality. SouthWind Gallery has committed 10 percent of the art sales to ARTSConnect, continuing a tradition of supporting the arts in Kansas. We enlisted the expertise of two distinguished individuals to serve as jurors, Neil Patterson, OPAM, President of the Oil Painters of America, and Kristin Hoerth, Editor in Chief, for Southwest Art Magazine. Over 300 entries were received for the competition and of these, 150 were selected for exhibit and for publication in this book. Here we present the juried collection of original art by artists from Kansas, and throughout the United States. Some of the artists are highly trained, others are selftaught, but each has skillfully created his or her own artistic vision of Kansas. Some chose a realistic style, some chose impressionistic, and some preferred abstract, edgy, or another stylistic effect. The mediums used include oils, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, encaustic, mixed media, fiber and photography. Whatever style and medium the artist chose to work with, “Kansas” was required to be the subject. We left it up to the artists to portray their impressions of Kansas, whether it was landscapes, architecture, indigenous people, animals or plant life that they chose to depict. Kansas is a state rich in history and diverse beauty. From the forests and bluffs in the eastern part of the state, to the gently undulating hills of the tall grass prairies, to the western flatlands where earth and sky meet and seem to go on forever, there is something that stirs the creativity of the many artists who live here as well as those just passing through on their way to somewhere else. SouthWind Gallery is pleased to present the unique beauty of Kansas through the eyes of the artists whose works were chosen for this book. Gary Blitsch, President SouthWind Gallery & Framewoods of Topeka
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SOUTHWIND GALLERY
From its inception, SouthWind Gallery’s vision has been to provide a place for passionate artists to exhibit their work in a spacious, comfortable atmosphere where the community can view and purchase fine art. SouthWind Gallery specializes in original paintings and sculpture by regional, national and internationally known artists. During the past 19 years, SouthWind has assembled an impressive list of talented artists that includes both established and emerging artists who are represented by the Gallery. SouthWind Gallery shares space with Framewoods of Topeka, an innovative custom picture-framing studio and together they offer corporate and residential clients complete art and framing services in one location. SouthWind Gallery is a cultural destination that has hosted national and regional art exhibits in addition to its ongoing art exhibits. SouthWind Gallery also was instrumental in helping establish Topeka’s First Friday Art Walk and participates each month in this exciting citywide event. The Gallery’s spacious interior features two levels for viewing works of art and its professional staff encourage browsing, questions and conversation about SouthWinds’s art and artists. SouthWind Gallery continues to maintain its objectives of participating in local charity organizations and is an active proponent of art education Gallery Hours are: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.–4p.m. Extended Hours: First Friday Art Walk, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SouthWind Gallery 3074 SW 29th Street Topeka, Kansas 66614 785.273.5994 or 888.206.5994 www.SouthwindArtGallery.com
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JUDGES PROFILE KRISTIN HOERTH
- EDITOR IN CHIEF, SOUTHWEST ART MAGAZINE
Kristin Hoerth joined Southwest Art Magazine in 1994 when she moved to Houston, Texas, the magazine’s former home base. She was named Editor in Chief in 2002. Under her leadership, Southwest Art has evolved from a focus on western subject matter to cover the entirety of representational art created and sold in the western United States. During her tenure Southwest Art won a silver medal for editorial excellence in Folio magazine’s annual competition. In 2006, she oversaw the magazine’s successful relocation from Texas to Colorado. She has served as a juror and speaker at numerous art shows. Hoerth is a graduate of Duke University in Durham, NC. Hoerth grew up in Kansas, living in Wichita for 10 years before her father’s career took the family to a number of other states. “I very much appreciated the opportunity to serve as a juror for this exhibition,” says Hoerth. “I enjoyed looking at all of the artworks and remembering the landscape, people, and places that make the state great. The exhibition will certainly be a fitting tribute to the state of Kansas.” - Kristen Hoerth
NEIL PATTERSON
- PRESIDENT OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA
Neil Patterson received his formal training as an artist at the University of Calgary and at the Scottsdale Artists’ School. In 1993, he was elected to the prestigious group of intellectuals and artists known as the Salmagundi Club of New York. In 1995, he became the first Canadian to become a signature member of the Oil Painters of America (OPA). In March 2000, he was awarded the status of Master Signature Member, becoming one of only 34 painters in this elite group. He is now serving his second term as President of OPA. Neil has numerous awards to his credit, and has been published in many books, newspapers and monthly periodicals. His work has been exhibited in galleries across North America, in seven provinces and seventeen U.S. states. “It was a pleasure and a privilege for me to be asked to jury State of the Art: Kansas The Artistic Perspective. As Vice President of Oil Painters of America (OPA) my first connection with the state of Kansas was made when Southwind Gallery hosted the OPA Regional Exhibition in 2007. I would like to congratulate all the artists who entered the show. It was wonderful to see the beauty and diversity of work produced by artists with a special connection to the state of Kansas.” - Neil Patterson OPAM, ASA, SFCA, RMPAP
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CALLY KRALLMAN -
FIRST PLACE Cally Krallman has been painting the Midwest for nearly 20 years. She is a graduate of Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, with a degree in fine arts. Throughout her professional career, her work has continued to gain attention from the arts world. Included among her impressive list of exhibitions are: National Agriculture Hall of Fame; Homage to the Flint Hills traveling exhibit; Kansas Masters Invitational; Symphony in the Flint Hills (print winner); and guest artist for the Sunflower Music Festival. She has been published in Kansas! Magazine; American Art Collector; and the Bonner Springs Chieftan. Cally is a member of Oil Painters of America and American Women Artists. Her work is represented in numerous private and corporate collections. In addition to her visual arts accomplishments, Cally is a talented singer and song writer with three albums recorded in the past several years.
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WINNING ENTRY | WESTWARD GLORY - 20”x16” ACRYLIC
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NANCY WHITAKER -
SECOND PLACE Nancy Whitaker is fascinated by the play of light on the landscape and challenges herself to capture this on each canvas. This endeavor has turned into a passion which has led her to become an accomplished painter. She is a member of a number of prestigious organizations including the Kansas Academy of Oil Painters, Wichita Women Artists, and Oil Painters of America. Her work has been selected for many exhibits such as the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Exhibit; American Plains Exhibit; the 22nd Annual Conservatory Classic; National Small Oil Exhibit Regional Show-Eldorado; and the Wichita Garden Show. Her work has been exhibited at Carriage Factory, Larksfield, Wichita City Arts and the Wichita Center for the Arts. Nancy’s artwork is represented in several private collections in the Midwest.
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WINNING ENTRY | SUN SETTING ON HAY BALES - 12”X20”
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DOUG FRYE -
THIRD PLACE Doug Frye is a dedicated physician and a self-taught artist who has been drawing and painting since childhood. Dr. Frye received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He maintains a medical practice in Topeka, Kansas. He paints en plien air and also from his studio located in his home. For many years he shared his love of art with young people by volunteering his time to teach at the Boys and Girls Club of Topeka.
WINNING ENTRY | FLEA MARKET| 28”X24” OIL (OPPOSITE MIST OF CEDAR CREST | 32”X24”
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OIL (RIGHT)
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ANNE PALMER -
HONORABLE MENTION Since 1985, Anne Palmer has owed a Landscape Design firm in Topeka. She received a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Kansas State University. In addition, she studied photography at Washburn University. She says that the first time she saw an image appear on blank paper in the developer tray, she was “hooked.” She subsequently built a darkroom in her home and eventually converted to digital photography when the cameras began to meet her high standards.
She is an award-winning artist who continuously adds to her already extensive body of work. Anne uses her photography to enhance her landscaping design. “I never had the skills to draw and paint, but when I picked up a camera, I had a flash that I could be an artist with the camera!” she explained. “The camera has become a way to express my love of color, light and the movement of life.”
AFTERBURN | 16”X24”
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PHOTOGRAPH
APRIL DAWN| 20”X30”
PHOTOGRAPH
The Artistic Perspective
WINNING ENTRY | BURNING OF THE PRAIRIE | 20”x30”
PHOTOGRAPH
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JIM CLEMENTS -
PEOPLE OF THE SOUTHWIND AWARD Jim Clements, says that Inspiration for his art comes from the land and its people. He also believes the best education any artist can receive is through sheer hard work and observation of life. However, he also emphasizes the importance of art education and is quick to acknowledge that the advice, instruction and encouragement he received from other accomplished artists and teachers throughout the years have been an integral part of his own professional growth. Jim also believes that an artist’s education never really ends, whether formally educated or self-taught, but rather remains a lifelong pursuit. Jim has been painting professionally for the past 12 years and also teaches many painting workshops annually throughout Kansas and the Western United States.
His oil paintings have won many awards throughout his career and have been featured in numerous publications including USA Today, Florida Today, Art Calendar magazine, Derby Now magazine, Eldorado Times, Dodge City Globe, and Topeka Capital-Journal. His work is highly prized by individual and corporate collectors nationwide.
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WINNING ENTRY | REDIRECTION | 12”X2O”OIL
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RONALD BEETON -
JUDGE’S AWARD WINNER, KRISTIN HOERTH After receiving his degree in fine arts, Ronald Beeton began his photography work developing an extensive portfolio of the Pioneer Square area of Seattle and later expanded to views of the Kansas countryside.
In the mid 1970s, he developed the “Old-Tyme Photo Shop” based out of Branson, Missouri, that traveled throughout the Midwest. In the early 1980s, he worked for the Raytheon Corporation as a commercial photographer, assisting with the creation of interactive videos to train airplane pilots and later developed a thriving athletic photography clientele for clubs and high school soccer teams. Throughout the years, he has maintained his love of and fascination for the landscapes of Kansas and has developed an extensive portfolio of the Flint Hills area.
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WINNING ENTRY | SPRING IN THE HILLS | 15”X40”
PHOTOGRAPH
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MICHELE USIBELLI -
JUDGE’S AWARD WINNER, NEIL PATTERSON Born in Seattle, Michele Usibelli, AIS, was drawn to art at an early age. After earning her degree in architecture from the University of Washington, Michele combined her dedicated work ethic with her love of travel, working in locations throughout the world. She draws upon her extensive travels and life experiences as the basis of her work.
Michele works primarily in oils, with a flavor of impressionism in her representational style. Her early training established a strong foundation in the Russian Impressionist tradition of seeing and painting shapes of light and color using relatively loose brush strokes. She has studied extensively and been influenced by numerous historic artists, most notably Nicholai Fechin, John Singer Sargent and William Merritt Chase. All of these influences have allowed Michele to establish her own unique artistic style and define her as a truly versatile, emerging 21st Century American Impressionist. Michele is recognized for her expressive colors and the passionate brushwork she achieves in her portraits, landscapes, still life and figurative work. Michele’s award-winning artwork has shown in both group and solo gallery exhibitions, in regional, national and international juried exhibitions. Recently, Michele followed her passion to teach and is conducting ongoing workshops and art demonstrations. She has proved to be a popular art juror. Michele has been accepted into the following organizations; Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society/ Signature Member, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Women Artists of the West, and Women Painters of Washington. Her artwork can be found in public and private collections throughout the world.
STILL RUNS | 12”X16”
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WINNING ENTRY | FRESH BALES | 16”X12” OIL
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JEANNIE PFLUMM -
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD Artist Jeannie Pflumm was born and raised in Sheridan, Oregon, where her study of art began as a young girl. In her early twenties she moved to Shawnee, Kansas, and continued to take art classes. She completed her graduate work at the University of Kansas.
Several years ago, Jeannie turned her full attention to painting and began studying with a number of master painters including international master sculptor and painter Kwan Wu. She also has studied with Master Iconographer, Alisha Elizabeth Zeller, M.A., of Germany. Working primarily in oil, her subjects include still life, portraiture, nature and figurative. Her diversity in styles and subject matter is well matched with her extraordinary knowledge and use of color. Jeannie is a member of Oil Painters of America and the Greater Kansas City Art Association. She has had numerous one-person shows in the Kansas City area and her work has been exhibited at Crown Center and the American Royal Western Art Show. Her work has been published in several Kansas City magazines and is on display at the Kansas Governor’s Mansion in Topeka. Her interpretive paintings of the Holocaust were selected for a solo show at the 70th Holocaust Remembrance Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
ABANDONED KANSAS FARM HOUSE |24”X30” WICHITA INDIAN GIVING WAR SONG|24”X30” RETIRED |20”X24” WINNING ENTRY | KANSAS SYMBOLS | 24”X30”
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OIL (UPPER LEFT)
OIL (UPPER RIGHT) OIL (LOWER LEFT)
OIL (OPPOSITE PAGE)
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MICHAEL JAMES ALLEN
Inspired by the abstraction of nature’s order, Michael James Allen uses the brevity of a gestured stroke to capture an image that resonates with him. At the tender age of 10, he earned an art scholarship to the Hollywood Florida Art Academy where he studied drawing and painting techniques for three years. Michael’s family later relocated to Kansas where he graduated from high school and then spent the next ten years studying drawing, painting, sculpture and printmaking. During this time, he worked with Richard Simon and Frank Nichols, and took workshops with Pete Felton, Jim Bass and Laddie John Dill. While attending Kansas State University and then later Fort Hays State University, he became a member of the prestigious High Plains Printmakers. Michael received a BFA in art and secondary education from Emporia State University and taught high school before becoming a commercial artist for 30 years. In 2004, he retired from a successful advertising career to paint full time.
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THE CLEARING | 24”X30”
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KATHLEEN ANDERSON
Raised in North Central Kansas, Kathleen Anderson went on to graduate from Fort Hays State University with a degree in education. After teaching school for several years in Kansas, Virginia, and Germany. She left education to work with the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Upon retiring, she plunged full time into her first love—art. Kathleen began an intense study by taking classes and workshops, and later entering her work in shows in the D.C. area. In 1999, she returned to Kansas and soon began showing her work in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas. She is a member of the Greater Kansas City Art Association and the Lawrence Art Guild. Her work hangs in numerous corporate and private collections.
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BUFFALO SOLDIERS | 14.5”X20”
WATERCOLOR
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JANET BAILEY
As a “plein air” watercolorist working on large paper, Janet Bailey relaxes listening to quiet sounds, aware of seasonal changes of climate and color, which she brings to her fluid pieces and shares with her audience. Janet graduated from the University of Kansas with a BFA. Additional studies include: The Kansas City Art Institute; a summer lithography research grant in Belgium and France; Dong Kingman in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; a Haiku and art retreat in Atlin, British Columbia; and an art research trip to Peru. Her art career includes five years painting with international Hallmark Cards Design Studio in Kansas City, and acting director of Rice Art Center in Topeka. She is a Signature member of the Kansas Watercolor Society and has shown in a number of one-person and invitational museum shows and juried competitions. Her paintings are in corporate and private collections nationally.
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RED ROOF UNDER KANSAS WINDS | 21.5”X29.25”
WATERCOLOR
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ZAK BARNES
Born and raised in Kansas, Zak Barnes feels a deep connection to the prairie landscape and to the people of the land. This sentiment is the base and anchor of his work and sets the emotional tone for any narrative that plays itself out in his paintings. Influenced by his surroundings, life experience and self- interpretation, he finds the rhythm of life that is reflected in his work, whether working in the studio or en plein aire. For Zak, working outdoors is meditative as he captures the fleeting moment in paint, texture and color, in mood and measure. As the scene changes with each passing moment, demands of concentration, attention and quickness of hand guide his pallet knife to accentuate the moments in color. In the studio, Zak creates dreamlike narratives that are drawn from memory and the landscape becomes a backdrop for human interaction. Folk art, surrealism and contemporary composition create ambiguity in both period and environment. Natural and manmade elements are placed in concert, creating the freedom of a magical story for the viewer to imagine. For Zak, it is the movement and emotional space created that is important.
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GHOST OF MONEGAL 1912 | 24”X30”
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SANDIE BAYLESS
A native Kansan, Sandie Bayless has explored her love of arts and crafts throughout most of her life. Inspired by her mother’s talents in oil painting, Sandie also has explored etching and jewelry making. In the past few years, she has joined her mother in creating beautiful murals for their church. Today, Sandie says that she is most interested in etching on clay board and then sharing those images with others.
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KANSAS COUNTRY | 8”X10”
ETCHING
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SUSAN BLACKWOOD
Susan Blackwood comes from six generations of artists. Her family history has been traced back to Rembrandt’s parents and both her husband, Howard Friedland, and her sister, Karen Vance, are accomplished artists. Susan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and received her bachelor’s of fine arts from Northern Illinois University. She also studied with Irving Shapiro at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Susan has traveled and painted extensively throughout the world, including a threeyear stint in Pakistan where she taught at the Lahore American School while also maintaining an active studio and producing three solo exhibitions of her paintings. Her works are in the collections of American Express; the French Consulate of Lahore, Pakistan; Anheuser Bush; the Sonoran Desert Museum; and many others. In 2003, after 32 years as a watercolorist, Susan switched to oil painting and she now paints exclusively in oils. The recipient of numerous awards, her originals have been exhibited in galleries in England and throughout the U.S. in national shows, as well as in museums and corporate collections. In 2010, Blackwood won the Best of Show Award at the prestigious American Women Artists Exhibition. Somerset Fine Art is publishing nine of Susan’s paintings of children. Her work has been featured in Southwest Art, U.S. Art, International Artist and Wildlife Art News. A partial list of her other publishers include the National Audubon Society, The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance, Big Brothers Association, National Riflemen’s Association, North Light Publishers, and The Medici Society Ltd. of London, England. She has been featured in the Master Painters of the World section of the International Artist magazine. In 1999, Watercolor Magazine featured an article about Susan’s paintings and John Singer Sargent’s paintings from Venice.
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GLORY AT STOCKTON LAKE | 24”X18” OIL
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LORI BOONE
Lori Boone chose other endeavors before stepping into the role of professional oil painter later in life. Born and raised in Kansas, Lori took up painting in earnest after her children were grown. Her award-winning work is described as sensual and her sense of color, profound.
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IN THE FIELD | 22”X28” OIL
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ALICE BROUGHTON
Artist Alice Evans Broughton lives in the countryside between Bonner Springs and Lawrence, Kansas, where she finds much of the inspiration for her art. She received her BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute. She also studied art at Bradley University, Illinois Central College, Illinois State University, and Baylor University in Texas. Currently, Alice teaches part time at the Kansas City Art Institute and the Johnson County Community College, while devoting the majority of her time to creating fine art. Alice is a member of Outdoor Painter’s Society and the Mid-America Pastel Society. She has won numerous awards and honors over the years and her work hangs in both private and corporate collections.
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FLINT HILLS ICON OF THE PRAIRIE | 32”X21.5” OIL
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MARGARET BUIE
Some Kansas artists prefer to paint the landscape―the prairie, the Flint Hills, the open sky, but Margaret Buie is inspired to depict the people and the structures they choose to build. She believes there is universality to people, their actions, relationships, emotions, that transcend location. Margaret explains, “I have painted musicians in Croatia and Kansas; children in China and Wamego. It’s the similarities and the differences that draw me to a subject. As a painter, my focus is on the relationship of shapes, contrast and color. Regardless of the subject, these elements of design control the images I create.” Margaret’s beginnings were in abstraction, which over time have become a more representational and accessible portrayal of the world in which she lives.
REFLECTION...(THE DOLE CENTER) | 10”X14”
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STEVEN BENNETT - WINFIELD, STAGE 3, 2008 | 10”X14”
WATERCOLOR
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DONNA CARRINGTON
Donna Carrington of Overland Park, Kansas, began painting professionally in the l960s. She received formal instruction at the Kansas City Art Institute, the Studio Delaware and the University of Kansas. Her painting style has evolved over time from soft, impressionistic works to more dramatic, color-drenched, large-format paintings that celebrate the unique Kansas landscape. She says, “I feel less confined when using a larger canvas and am attracted to the rolling vistas of Kansas and the wide open skies.” A favorite painting venue for Donna is the Flint Hills where she says, “… time stands still; there is a peaceful and unreal quality about the land.” Donna has exhibited in many solo, juried and invitational shows, winning numerous awards. Her work is included in private and corporate collections throughout the United States and South America.
RED GRASSES | 24”X30”
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EVENING LIGHT | 20.5”X18.5”
PASTEL
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NAOMI CASHMAN
Growing up in rural Northeast Kansas, Naomi Cashman found her way to the visual arts by way of Germany. This is where she had her first opportunity to learn to paint during a two year family furlough. After attending The University of Kansas and raising her family, she began her exploration bird wood sculpture in earnest. This art form honed her detailed observation skills over 20 years. Naomi won numerous awards in national shows for her work, including an exhibit at the University of Kansas Dyke Museum of Natural History. Searching to expand her skills a few years ago, she began watercolor workshops held by notable Kansas artists. She says, “Working as a watercolorist brought to my experience an abrupt contrast from highly detailed sculptures to bold free flowing colors.” She regularly shows her paintings in the Topeka area.
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PRAIRIE SHADOWS | 14”X18”
WATERCOLOR
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KATHLEEN COBB
Kathleen Cobb of Holton, Kansas, has won numerous awards throughout her career including the Kansas Artists Postcard Competition Series in 1987, 1995, 1997, and 2007. She attended Washburn University in Topeka, where she pursued a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Fine Art and Anthropology. She has studied with many notable Kansas artists including Joan Foth, Robert Sudlow, Louis Copt, Phil Starke, Jerry Gaddis, Cally Krallman and Kim Casebeer. She is a member of the Topeka Art Guild and the Holton Area Arts Agency.
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DAY’S END | 18”X24”
ACRYLIC
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ORVILLE COURTNEY
Having grown up in Jefferson County (Kansas), artist Orville Courtney travels the state capturing his discoveries with a distinct understanding of color and drama. His digital images not only express the beauty of his subject, but pushes the medium to relate the performance of the Kansas landscape. Orville explains his excitement about the medium this way, “With photography’s move to digital, it has suddenly transitioned from a compose-it, shoot-it, and hope-for-thebest kind of experience, to a compose-it, shoot-it, and do-almost-anything-you-canimagine form of art. I think the popular idea that a photograph is finished when you press the shutter release…will be slower to change than the advances in technology that now make that idea no longer true. Photography is truly born again!”
CLEMENTS BRIDGE 12”X16” PHOTOGRAPH (RIGHT) STORMY CLOUD GRAIN BIN 12”X16” PHOTOGRAPH (FAR RIGHT) 12”X16”
PEARL HOUSE |12”X16”
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STORM AND PASTURE |12”X16”
PHOTOGRAPH
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STACI DAWN
Staci Dawn enjoys making things from scratch, doing hands-on projects and making everyday things into something beautiful. After attending college, she successfully built a home-based daycare business. Today, Staci continues to develop her artistic talent with the hope of one day using that knowledge to help introduce art to young children.
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SNOW TRACKS IN KANSAS | 30”X22” ACRYLIC
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STEVE DENNY
Born in Sedgwick County (Kansas) into a “seriously Scottish” family, Steve Denny spent much of his boyhood drawing while hanging out in the stockyards and cattle operations. Steve is the third of three generations of his family to have worked in the livestock industry. As a young man, Steve worked for the Emporia Livestock Commission and Iowa Beef Processors, but he never lost his interest in art. Steve went on to earn college degrees in Studio Arts, Education and Psychology. Steve has a highly impressive list of award-winning art which includes awards from the following organizations: Art for the Parks international competition, National Pastel Society competitions, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and Western Colorado Watercolor Society shows and the Kansas Postcard competitions. In addition, he has had numerous solo and group shows in galleries across the Central United States. Steve has been published in journals and magazines throughout the Midwest including: Kansas Farm Bureau, The American Cancer Society, Topeka Schools Fund, The Midwest Highland Arts Fund and Mid-America Indian Museum. He has collectors in a number of U.S. States as well as France, Canada, Scotland, Ireland and Italy.
MONARCH OF THE FARM | 28”X21”
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TALL GRASS DUSK | 15”X21”
WATERCOLOR
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WES DEWEY
Born and raised in southeast Kansas, Wes Dewey spent most of his youth exploring the woods, prairies and abundant wildlife where he developed a love of the outdoors and nature. Wes began painting professionally in the mid-1980s, and during the ensuing years, has been a finalist in The National Wild Turkey print competition, the Oregon Upland Stamp competition, Duck Stamp competitions in the states of Nevada, Delaware and Oklahoma, as well as being in the top ten in the prestigious Federal Duck Stamp competition. In addition, Wes has won the Kansas Wildlife in Art Series, the Kansas Duck Stamp Competition, and as recently as 2010, the Louisiana Duck Stamp Competition. Wes was featured as a sponsor artist for Kansas Ducks Unlimited in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and was commissioned to paint the original art for the Taggart/Wildtrust Memorial Print to benefit the Cheyenne Bottoms near Great Bend, Kansas. Wes has shown his work in many juried-only shows, such as the National Wildlife Art Show in Kansas City, the Wildlife Art Expo in Wichita, Kansas, the Oklahoma Wildlife Art Festival in Tulsa, and the Midwest Gathering of the Artists in Carthage, Missouri. He also has displayed art in the Visions of the Flint Hills exhibit in Kansas City, and had a landscape painting chosen for display at the 2011 Symphony in the Flint Hills.
SOMEWHERE ON THE OREGON TRAIL | 16”X20”
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KANSAS RESURGANCE - WOOD DUCKS | 16”X20”
ACRYLIC
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MICHAEL DUANE
Artist Michael Duane of Overland Park, Kansas, has had a love of the visual arts since he was young boy, as well as a fascination with weather since witnessing the ominous force of a Kansas tornado when he was seven years old. Michael graduated from the University of Kansas in 1980 with a bachelor’s of fine arts and design. Over the years, he’s created many kinds of art, from caricatures in pen and ink, to landscapes in watercolor and acrylic. Several years ago, impressed by the bold, pure colors and the immediacy of pastels, Michael began to work exclusively in this medium. With pastels, he found his niche by combining his love of art with his lifelong fascination with the weather. Michael says that that he is constantly outside to experience nature at its grandest and most dangerous times—during the spring and summer months in Kansas—to capture those scenes and translate what he’s experienced to paper. In an unusual style for the medium, Michael rubs the pastels into the paper creating smooth shapes with less detail rather than building texture through individual strokes, thus creating a more contemporary feel. While Kansas remains the primary inspiration for his art, he continues to expand his scope by exploring other areas of the country as well. He’s achieved Signature status in the Pastel Society of America as well as both Signature and Master Pastelist status in the Mid-America Pastel Society. He has an impressive number of awards from art competitions and has collectors throughout the Central United States.
SUNSET SHADOWS FLINT HILLS - 20”X30”
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PASTEL
The Artistic Perspective
CAPITAL STORM AND SUNFLOWERS - 20”X30”
PASTEL
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STEPHEN EIDSON
Whether it is fate or part of a Divine Plan, misfortune sometimes finds us and turns our lives upside down. Artist Stephen Eidson knows a thing or two about a topsy-turvy life. After receiving his art degree from Central Missouri University in Warrensburg, he worked at a variety of jobs before his health began to decline. Born with Primary Immune Deficiency (PID), Stephen was well aware that his worsening condition could prevent him from ever returning to the type of work he had been doing for many years. It was then that he made the decision to return to his love of art and fine art painting. He purchased an old building in Mack’s Creek, near Lake of the Ozarks, converted it into a studio, and began creating his art. A year later, the renowned Mayo Clinic contacted him about starting a new treatment for PID. Stephen agreed and it has since stabilized his condition. That was in 2001, and since then he has continued to create his art. Stephen recently discovered the Kansas Flint Hills while on vacation and, like so many other artists, was seduced by the area’s unique beauty. Today, Stephen is an award-winning artist who has won numerous state, regional and national art show honors.
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GREEN BROKE | 16”X20”
CHARCOAL
■5
MARTY FERGUSON
A resident of Wichita, Kansas, Marty Ferguson is an awardwinning artist who enjoys painting portraits, landscapes and still lifes in her favorite medium, which is oils. She is well known for her brilliant palette. One of her bright floral paintings was accepted for the cover of the Presbyterian Manor Calendar for 2006. She has studied with noted artists Daniel Green, Jan Kunz, Robert Johnson, Gary Fagen, Bob Rohm, Mary Binford Miller and Jim Clements. She is a member of the Wichita Women Artists, Kansas Academy of Oil Painters and Oil Painters of America.
LADY IN BLUE | 16”X8”
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OIL
The Artistic Perspective
SUNFLOWERS | 24”X12” OIL
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JO FLAGER
Jo Flager is an artist who has lived all her life on a farm in eastern Kansas. Spending time outside, enjoying the changing seasons and admiring the beauty of the rural area has given her the background for painting the country scenes that she loves. Primarily a self-taught artist, Jo has participated in numerous workshops and college art classes where she has honed her skills as a painter. She is a member of several arts organizations including the Topeka Art Guild, Lawrence Art Guild, Olathe Visual Artists and the Ottawa Art Guild. Her work can be seen in private and corporate collections throughout the Midwest.
SUNLIGHT ON THE PRAIRIE | 24”X24”
OIL
FALL IN KANSAS | 24”X24”
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OIL (OPPOSITE PAGE)
The Artistic Perspective
■5
JANE FLANDERS
Jane Flanders received her fine arts degree from the University of Kansas in 2004, and since that time has been working in oils, pastels and ceramics. In 2010, she had the distinction of having her work chosen for exhibit in the American Royal Juried Show. Recently, Jane created a pastel series of artwork depicting antique tractors, one of which was selected for the Kansas-150 art exhibit at SouthWind Gallery. The other works in the series are displayed in the Smoky Hill Museum and the Yesteryear Museum in Salina, Kansas. Jane says she chose this subject matter for her entry because, “Antique tractors are an icon of a bygone era of agriculture.” She added that her series of paintings “record a disappearing part of our Kansas landscape.”
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FARMALL, YESTERYEAR MUSEUM, SALINA , KS | 13.25”X17.25”
PASTEL
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HOWARD FRIEDLAND
Howard Friedland was born in the Bronx, New York in 1945. At about the age of five he started to draw with his older brother’s art materials. When he was in junior high school his brother bought him a set of oil paints of his own. With their sketchpads and pencils in hand, Howard and a fellow student would take the subway to the New York Museum of Natural History every weekend to draw the taxidermy animals in the dioramas of the African veldt. He later studied painting and commercial art at New York’s High School of Music and Art. After graduating high school Howard was accepted to attend The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in the department of Art and Architecture. For the next eight years after college he worked as an art director on Madison Avenue. In 1972, Howard moved to Miami, Florida, where he rekindled his love of fine art and began his study of oil painting. In 1982, he relocated to New Mexico where he traded his commercial art career for a full time career as an oil painter. In 1998, Howard moved to Bozeman MT. and married artist Susan Blackwood. Today, this talented couple paint and pursue their art careers from their studios in Bozeman.
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STAYING CLOSE | 11”X14”
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OIL
RICK FRISBIE
Salina, Kansas is home for artist Rick Frisbie. This is where he paints immigrant friends, “plein air” landscapes, old mills, elevators and still life subjects. Rick also teaches English to new immigrants and is involved in several businesses. His educational background includes advanced degrees in vocal education from Bethany College. “I’m in a hurry,” Rick says. “I started painting seriously later in life than most, so I need to make the most of my time now.” In his efforts to catch up, Rick paints for two or three hours every day before work. Rick studied painting with professors Mary Kay and Frank Shaw of Bethany College and has taken workshops with Charles Sovek, Juan Martinez, Robert Liberace, Gary Ozias and Qiang Huang, among others. His work has been selected for the National Small Oil Paintings Exhibition and as a participant in the Rocky Mountain and Wyoming National plein air events. He is a member of the Kansas Academy of Oil Painters and his work is represented in both corporate and private collections.
WHEN FLOUR MILLS WERE KINGS | 12”X14”
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OIL
The Artistic Perspective
TOTO, GRANDMA AND FORTITUDE | 36”X24” OIL
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CHERI GRAHAM
Pastel artist Cheri Graham of Manhattan, Kansas, received her bachelor’s degree in art education from Ohio State University and completed two more semesters in graphic design at Kansas State University. Cheri enjoys painting realistic Kansas landscapes, especially the textures of the grasses and the numerous varieties of wildflowers. She says, “Color changes of the Flinthills, brought on with the changing of seasons, give me hours of painting pleasure.” Recently she has entered what she calls her “whimsical” period, incorporating colorful pinwheels within botanical abstracts. Meshing her two passions; painting and gardening, Cheri is energized by the local landscape. “The Kansas Flint Hills are my creative inspiration,” she says of her muse, “as they are with many artists. And, preservation is a must for now and succeeding generations.”
ART-TERNATIVE ENERGY | 24”X18”
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PASTEL
The Artistic Perspective
PRINCE OF KINGS CREEK | 18”X24”
PASTEL
■5
DEBRA JOY GROESSER
Nebraska artist Debra Joy Groesser received her BFA degree in 1978 from Bellevue College, Bellevue Nebraska. She has studied with such renowned artists as Kevin Macpherson, Scott Christensen, Kim English, John Cosby and Kenn Backhaus. Debra is passionate about plein air painting in oils. Her landscape paintings have garnered national recognition and awards. Debra says, “Being outdoors, in God’s creation, whether in my perennial garden, or the mountains, or by the sea, provides me endless inspiration.” Debra has participated and received awards in numerous juried and invitational exhibitions. Among them are Salon International Juried Exhibition, Oil Painters of America Regional Juried Exhibitions, American Impressionist Society National Juried Exhibitions, Plein Air Artists Colorado Juried Members Exhibitions, Carmel Art Festival, Laguna Plein Air Invitational and Door County Plein Air Invitational. Debra is a Signature member of the American Impressionist Society, Plein Air Artists Colorado and Nomadas del Arte, and an associate member of Oil Painters of America and American Women Artists. Debra also has illustrated three children’s books. Her work has been featured in several issues of American Art Collector magazine including “Artist Focus” features in 2009 and 2010, and a two-page article in June 2010. Debra’s artwork hangs in numerous corporate and private collections in the U.S. and throughout the world.
OLD PHILLIPS ‘66 PUMP |12”x8”
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OIL
The Artistic Perspective
COTTONWOOD FALLS 82 DEGRESS AT 3PM | 11”X14”
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OIL
ANTHONY BENTON GUDE
Anthony Benton Gude attended the School of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, Massachusetts from 1986 to 1987, mastering the Venetian Technique of oil painting. This proven system employs the use of a monochromatic underpainting to develop form and composition before the color is painted on. The work ends up with many layers of paint that gives the final result a stronger body. Certain color can only be achieved by the layering of tones. Thus, the system lends itself to the exploration of representable creative work in oils. Studying under Professor John Burns in his Technical Painting Class, Anthony learned the tools of his trade. Starting out copying an old master painting from a stack of prints in class, led to the making of gesso, sizing canvases with rabbit skin glue and learning the way a painting was constructed based on methods used by the Italian Masters. Anthony has continued to use these methods not only on his easel paintings, but in the construction of murals as well. Anthony believes this insures the longevity of the works. Anthony concentrated on figure drawing using the study of anatomy to perfect his drawing skills and still studies anatomy today. He says, “I believe an artist must truly understand the form one intends to represent. Knowing the figure from the skeletal structure outward makes the difference between drawing what you see accurately or merely copying the form.” He continued his education through studies at the Art Student’s League in New York City, New York, again focusing on drawing and painting. Throughout his professional career, he has continued to attend drawing classes. As his famous grandfather, the late Thomas Hart Benton, would say: “painting is all in the drawing”. Whether you are holding a paint brush or a pencil, grandfather and grandson always agreed that the same skill applies to all the mediums used in art.
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HOWL - 20”x16” OIL
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LOUISE BROCK HAMILTON
A lifelong Kansan, Louise Brock Hamilton has always felt challenged by the ever changing skies and endless variety of subject matter around her. She has evolved a dynamic response to the Kansas landscape. The resulting expressionistic style captures the sometimes vibrant, sometimes subtle colors and patterns of the plains. Louise received her academic training in fine arts at the University of Kansas, University of Colorado and Washburn University. She is a versatile artist, working in a variety of media including: oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, printmaking and photography. She exhibits in numerous one-person shows statewide and is the reciepient of regional art awards. Louise has served as vice president of the Kansas Arts Commission and as a member of the Kansas Governor’s Advisory Council to the Arts. She is a lifetime member of the Mulvane Art Museum Board of Directors in Topeka, Kansas.
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CHEYENNE BOTTOMS - 24”x30”
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OIL
JOHANNA HANKS
A native New Yorker, Johanna Hanks’ first love in the arts was stage and theater. She became involved in visual arts to help her overcome a serious illness, but never dreamed it would become her passion. Johanna has a Fine Art Studio Design Degree from SCSC. She says, “I have been doing this now for a number of years and continue to grow in love with painting our lives and putting my heart and my passion on display.” Johanna has been teaching form, line, composition, color theory and painting for over 16 years. Her work has been selected for exhibit in numerous juried shows and regularly donates her work to her favorite charities. Her work has been selected as the Christmas Ornament representing Kansas for the White House Christmas Tree.
WATSON PARK - WICHITA | 15”x20”
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OIL
The Artistic Perspective
SPLASH - R. CITY - 19”x13” WATERCOLOR
■5
DANA HASSETT
Dana Hassett is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in design. She lives in the rolling Flint Hills of Kansas, and confides that she feels like an extension of them. Whenever the mood strikes, Dana hikes to the pastures around home or drives 10 minutes to the higher hills to find and catch an impression on canvas– “en plein air.” She spent 30 years in the quarter-horse industry with her husband until suffering a serious injury in 1996. It was then that she turned to painting in earnest. Dana says, “These days, painting outdoors provides the artistic growth, spontaneity and integrity that are a must for me.” These outdoor color studies are used as a basis for her studio work, which is influenced by the Russian Impressionists. Dana is a member of American Women Artists (AWA) and Oil Painters of America (OPA). Her paintings are shown and collected nationwide.
CATTLE BARON - 10”x12”
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STATE OF THE ART|KANSAS
OIL
The Artistic Perspective
CATTLE COUNTRY - 11”x14”
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OIL
DELORES HEALY
In 2007, photographer Delores Healy formed NorthWindImage Photography with her husband and fellow photographer, Grant Healy, with a focus on landscape photography. Delores’ fine art photographs have appeared in numersous publications and are included among the collections of individuals and corporate entities. Delores says, “Viewing landscape photography is a therapeutic experience that provides a feeling of comfort, warmth, relaxation and hope for the future.”
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AUTUMN COUNTRY DRIVE | 10”X15”
PHOTOGRAPH
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C. T. (FRED) HSIA
A retired architect, C. T. (Fred) Hsia began painting in art classes while studying architecture at the National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China. After moving to the United States, Fred completed his master’s degree in architecture at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. While working at a local firm in Topeka, Kansas, Fred enrolled in painting classes in the evenings at Washburn University from the late 1970s to 1980. During this period, he was enrolled in watercolor classes taught by Rebecca Wright (deceased) and Joan Foth (deceased), two accomplished Kansas artists. In 2006, Fred resumed his painting classes in the evenings at Washburn University where he continues to hone his artistic skills. Fred’s paintings have been accepted in various juried art shows in Kansas, including the Kansas Public Radio Art Show in Lawrence, the Kansas Watercolor Society “Great Eight” Exhibition, A Spring Day on the Hill Exhibition, the 40th Annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition, Kansas Collegiate Aesthetics at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery and the Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, Kansas.
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THE FLINT HILLS | 20”x36”
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OIL
ROBERT HUBBARD
A resident of Topeka, Robert Hubbard has been exploring art since his childhood. He earned a BFA in Painting, with an Education emphasis, from Southwestern College. He has taught art for the last 30 years and continues to explore new ways to improve his teaching skills along with his painting techniques. Robert doesn’t restrain himself to one subject matter but prefers to explore the potential of each piece and idea. “My philosophy on art is that an artist is one who never stops wondering what new ways of expression can be explored and developed, while showing continued growth,” Robert explains.
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CAPITAL STORM AND SUNFLOWERS | 22”X28”
ACRYLIC
■5
LOUISE HUTCHISON
Artist Louise Hutchison enjoys her home state of Kansas and finds her inspiration in local subjects. She paints landscapes, still life and lately has been focusing on figures and portraits. Although most of her work is rendered in oil or pastel, she also produces high quality drawings in charcoal and other media. Louise’s basic art education began with the “Famous Artists Course.” This course utilized well known artists to design lessons and grade students’ work. She has gained additional education from courses offered by McPherson College, Bethany College, and Kansas State University. She has participated in painting workshops led by such noted artists as Bill Ahrandt, Daniel Greene, David Leffel, Darrell Elliot, Harvey Dinnerstien, Donna Aldredge and others. Her work has been selected for inclusion in various regional and national juried shows as well as an invitational show in France. Louise’s work is included in many private and corporate collections.
PORTRAIT OF MENDEL | 16”x16”
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STATE OF THE ART|KANSAS
OIL
The Artistic Perspective
DAN’S GOATS | 24”x30”
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OIL
APOLLONIA JAMISON
Growing up in Hungary, Apollonia Jamison soon learned that the arts were an integral part of her native country’s educational system. That background gave her a solid understanding of the visual and performing arts. Today, whether she is painting a Kansas landscape or performing as a vocal soloist in her church, she shines with talent and a lifelong love of the arts, built on those early experiences. After moving to the United States and raising a family, Apollonia continued to hone her oil painting skills. She also is a skilled craftswoman who for the past eight years, has supervised the picture framing studio at Framewoods of Topeka and has developed a reputation as one of the leading designers in the field.
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END OF SEASON | 18”x24”
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OIL
PAT JESSEE
With a 45-year career in graphic design, Pat Jessee had the opportunity to work in a variety of mediums and subjects. Her father, an artist in his own right, encouraged her in exploring art as a career option. Her education includes a bachelor’s degree in art from the University of Kansas with additional education at the Kansas City Art Institute. Pat has an impressive number of one-woman shows and art competition awards from across the country. Those competitions include: Kansas City Museum Heritage Art Show; Kansas Watercolor Society; Kansas City Heart Association Christmas Card; Art in the Woods; Overland Park Show; Buttonwood Financial Pastel; International Pastel Society; National Pastel Show; Mid-America Pastel Society National Show; and the Flint Hills Show.
WIDE EXPANSE | 18”x26”
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STATE OF THE ART|KANSAS
PASTEL
The Artistic Perspective
NATIVE AMERICAN #2 | 26”x18” PASTEL
■5
JACK KIRCHHOFER
Jack Kirchhofer is a self-taught watercolor artist who was accepted into the Kansas Watercolor Society as a Signature Life Member in the early 1970s. His work has been exhibited in numerous juried art shows in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, including the prestigious Kansas City Plaza Art Fair. His body of work depicts the many aspects of rural Americana ranging in subjects as diverse as old houses to old worn boots. During the late 1970s he embarked on a journey to explore the art of stained and leaded glass, using the colors and textures of the glass in a painterly fashion derived from his years of watercolor painting. His glass work varies from designs for upscale homes to ornate and detailed themes for church windows. “The transmission of light through the glass is similar to the white watercolor paper showing through layers of paint,” he explains. “By using the glass as the canvas, I am able to paint and kiln fire multiple layers of paint to obtain results similar to those seen in traditional watercolor paintings. However, unlike watercolors that are based on a white surface, painting on glass offers the flexibility of a wide range of glass colors that may be used as the canvas.” For Jack these two mediums have complemented each other in his artistic growth and he believes the range of results is only limited by the imagination.
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WHERE THE DEER AND ANTELOPE PLAY | 18”X24”
GLASS
■5
PAULINE KNITTEL
Artist Pauline Knittel says she has always been interested in drawing and painting. After graduating from high school, Pauline was employed by Hallmark Cards as an artist. Married in 1954, she and her husband moved to several states throughout the country before returning to Kansas. This provided her with opportunities to study many varied landscapes and various artists while she and her husband raised their five children. At age 79, Pauline is now a proud grandmother of nine grandchildren and one great grandchild, all of whom she uses as inspiration and as subjects for her various paintings. Pauline has studied art at Washburn University and has taken numerous private art classes taught by well-known artists. She is a member of the Topeka Art Guild and Gallery and has served on the Guild’s Board. Pauline’s mediums of choice include watercolor, acrylic and oils, in all genres, with a particular interest in landscapes. She has received a number of awards for her artwork throughout her painting career.
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PATHWAY HOME - 24”X30”
ACRYLIC
■5
MICHELLE LEIVAN
Educated at Fort Hays State University, Michelle Leivan has been distinguished as the featured visual artist at the Kansas River Valley Art Fair, Topeka Jazz Festival, and the Aaron Douglas Art Fair, and has been nominated for the Kansas Governor’s Art Award in the visual arts category. Her work also has been honored by being selected to hang in the Kansas State Capital building and in the U.S Embassy Residence of the Ambassador in Asuncioun, Paraguay. Michelle’s work has been featured in solo shows and exhibits at the Manhattan Arts Center, Arts Council of Topeka, True Art Gallery and Topeka Performing Arts Center. She also has exhibited in several juried internet competitions and in Soho, New York. Her work is represented in the Ellis County Historical Archives as well as in several corporate and private collections.
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AUHNEIYCE | 18”x24”
ACRYLIC
■5
LINDA LITTOU
Artist Linda Littou uses both oils and acrylics to capture her favorite subjects. She has won awards for her work in Oklahoma and Kansas. Like so many artists, Linda says that she enjoys the feeling of losing herself in her work. She adds, “It’s exciting to start a new painting because it’s like visiting another place and time.”
APPROACHING STORM | 11”X14”
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OIL
The Artistic Perspective
KANSAS GOLD | 9”X12”
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OIL
MIKE LIVINGSTON
Mike Livingston has been an artist all of his working life. Born and raised in Kansas, he made the decision to stay here to pursue his art. Mike received his undergraduate degree from Emporia State University and his master’s in art from Fort Hays State University after serving two years in the United States military and a tour in Viet Nam. After completing his education, Mike and his wife, Peggy, moved to Hutchinson where he built a bronze foundry and began working full-time casting his own work. A few years later, he also began working in wood. For many years, Mike built one-of-a-kind furniture, incorporating bronze elements into the pieces he calls “ethnic primitive”. He thought he would always work “three-dimensionally” but continued to have a desire to paint. Finally in 2009, Mike took up a brush and has been dedicated to oil painting ever since. In addition to painting, Mike continues to work in bronze, but the realization that painting would allow him to continue his creative journey long past his bronze working days, has kept him at the easel chronicling the seasons of the Kansas.
CENTRAL KANSAS SANDHILLS |14”X42”
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OIL
The Artistic Perspective
TOWNSHIP ROAD, RICE COUNTY, KS | 16”X40”
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JANET LOEBEL
Artist Janet Loebel describes herself as “a fifth-generation daughter of the Chase County Flint Hills.” Through the memories passed-down by her elders, she has developed an immense love and appreciation for the rich lives and the varied contributions members of her early settler family have made to this beloved region and to America. Janet says, “A lifetime of exploring these sacred Flint Hills on horseback, or in automobiles, has created within me a worldview of where each of us exists relative to this ancient region; a region where once in time abundant and varied sea creatures roamed an ocean in the middle of America.” Janet has a bachelor’s of art education degree from the University of Kansas, a master of science degree from Kansas State University, and a master of library science and information management degree from Emporia State University. She has served much of her professional life as an education program consultant for the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), but since retirement confesses that she has joyfully immersed herself in a variety of loves including creating her art, spending time with friends and family, and “pursuing the varied permutations available within the arts field.”
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The Artistic Perspective
HELVETIA | 12”X24”
ACRYLIC
■5
KRISTINE LUBER
Kristine Luber has created her artistic niche by combining fiber art and photography. Kristine, who learned to sew from her mother has a degree in elementary education from Concordia University in Seward. As Director of Education and Youth at First Lutheran Church in Topeka, she has designed and sewn banners for worship and led children and youth in creating religious art projects. She also sews costumes for Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy. To create her art, Kristine stitches together photos and fabric patchwork. She enhances the cloth with embroidery which serves to hold the fabric layers together, and then adds beads to mimic nature and catch the eye. Her art has been displayed in a number of galleries in northeast Kansas. Her three pieces of art shown here include photos from the Baker Wetlands near Lawrence, the Konza Prairie near Manhattan and her own backyard in Topeka. She says, “Photography allows me to capture the beautiful images I see all around me – in my own neighborhood and while traveling around the state – anything I find interesting, both natural and manmade. By keeping my eyes open and my camera at hand, I am always ready to capture the beauty I see in Kansas.”
FLY O’ER NO MORE |16”X32”
TEXTILE
REFLECTIONS | 30”X16”
106 ■ STATE OF THE ART|KANSAS
(ABOVE)
TEXTILE (RIGHT)
The Artistic Perspective
KONZA GOLD| 20”X24”
TEXTILE
■5
PEGGY LYON
Peggy Lyon has made a study of the Kansas Flint Hills over the past 35 years. After completing her study of two-dimensional art at Emporia State University, she transitioned to secondary education at Chase County High School. While helping youth find their own artistic direction in disciplines ranging from painting to ceramics, Peggy sought to continually grow as an artist. As a Signature Member of the Kansas Watercolor Society, she has won awards in festivals and shows throughout the Central States including the Mulvane Mountain/ Plains Arts Festival, Art in the Woods, the Plaza Art Fair, and the Kansas Masters Invitational Art Show. Her work also was included in the statewide traveling exhibit, Homage to the Flint Hills. Peggy says that teaching workshops, traveling the festival circuit, and learning from other artists has only fueled her love for art.
WINTER TREES |10”X20”
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WATERCOLOR
The Artistic Perspective
JACOBS MOUND | 18”X24”
WATERCOLOR
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JUDITH MACKEY
In her 44-year career as a professional painter, Judith Mackey has established herself as the preeminent Kansas Flint Hills Painter. Mackey, a leading plein air artist, paints that which is most familiar to her—the unique landscape of the tall grass prairie, working cowboys, and the ranch life that surrounds her rural Chase County home. Today, Judith is legendary in the arts world for her dedication to painting her beloved Flint Hills and Chase County. A native Kansan, Judith’s early artistic style was influenced by some of the leading Western artists whose work she began to study in the 1960s. When she settled in Chase County a few years later, Judith’s interest in the Flint Hills began. Since then she has devoted much of her life to visually documenting the history and rare beauty of this land where she lives and works. Throughout her career, Judith has produced an extraordinary body of work that has won her many honors. One of the most notable is her induction into the American Royal Western Art Association in 1988. She holds the distinction of being the first woman and the first Kansan to attain this honor. Her work hangs in the Kansas State capitol and is part of the permanent collection of Cedar Crest, the official residence of the Governor. Judith’s oil paintings are prized by private and corporate collectors worldwide.
SPRING BURNING OF THE SOUTH PASTURE |20”X30”
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OIL
The Artistic Perspective
PRAIRIE MORNING| 24”X30”
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OIL
JANCY MORGAN
Jancy Morgan was born in Topeka, and has lived in Kansas for all of her life. She credits her junior high school art teacher with instilling in her the understanding of color theory, composition and a love for lettering. From logo designs to wall murals, geological drafting to children’s books, and corporate training material to cookbooks, Jancy has done illustrations and lettering in a style all her own. She now lives in an old, stone schoolhouse - just north of what used to be known as the “Santa Fe Trail,” where she has her studio. She says that she likes to experiment with techniques in re-using and recycling materials whenever possible. “Any medium is a good medium,” she says, “weaving, sewing, pottery, enameling, jewelry, watercolor, pencil and virtually any kind of paint.” In keeping with her passion for recycling to save our planet, Jancy enjoys recycling Kansas history and images to create rhyming children’s picture books in collaboration with her husband, Tom Dunn.
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The Artistic Perspective
SUNRISE ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL | 18”X24”
COLORED PENCIL
■5
KIRSTIN NOVAK
Kirstin Wiechert Novak received her bachelor’s degree in fine art from Washington University in St. Louis. Since then she has worked as a graphic designer winning both national and international awards for her work. For the last six and a half years she has worked as an online instructor for Westwood College teaching graphic design and game design. In 2008, she received the honor of being recognized as “Faculty of the Year”. Kirstin grew up driving through the Flint Hills several times a year to visit her grandparents and these journeys led to her fascination with the Kansas landscape. She explains, “The Kansas landscape possesses rich colors and forms waiting to be celebrated in art. As a pastelist, it is my desire to bring those colors and forms to life, hoping to instill an appreciation of the Kansas landscape in all who view my work.”
FIERY EARTH, FIERY SKIES | 10”X8” PRAIRIE ICON | 14.5”X10.5”
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PASTEL (RIGHT)
PASTEL (OPPOSITE PAGE)
The Artistic Perspective
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CHER HELLER OLSON
Cher Heller Olson, a native of North Central Kansas, feels she’s been an artist all her life. She received a BA in art education from Kansas State University. Olson raised a family and taught art at Cloud County Community College and at USD 333 in Concordia, where she started the Elementary Art Program. When her husband was called to the ministry, the family moved to Cawker City, where Cher took an interest in plein aire painting. The Olson’s ministry moved the family to Junction City and most recently to a Flint Hills ranch. The beauty of the Kansas Flint Hills quickly became a focus touched by Cher’s vibrant color and brushstrokes. She tries to paint on a daily basis. Olson states that the changing seasons on the prairie and quick moving light across the beautiful plains makes everyday painting an exciting event. Many of her works hang in private collections throughout the United States.
EARLY WINTER IN THE FLINT HILLS|10”X16” CATTLE IN THE FLINT HILLS|18”X24”
OIL (RIGHT)
WINTER ON THE SNOW COVERED PRAIRIE|18”X36”
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FIRST SHOW OF AUTUMN | 10”X16”
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JULIE PASTA
Julie Pasta is a nature photographer based in Topeka. Though she has enjoyed taking pictures for a long time, it wasn’t until 2007 that she began to seriously develop her interest in photography. Julie jump-started her photography adventure with an evening class from the local technical college taught by Anthony Bush, chief photographer of the Topeka Capital-Journal. She learned to shoot confidently in manual mode and never turned back. She has been a member of the Lawrence Photo Alliance for two years. Having grown up in the Midwest, Julie savors its beauty and sincerity. Five years ago she moved to Kansas with her family and marvels at the beautiful treasures Kansas continues to offer. She loves photographing flowers, from roadside wildflowers to the blooms she grows in her own backyard. Julie says, “I’ve done macro photography to try and achieve that unique perspective that creates real art from just another picture of a flower.” She also loves photographing butterflies, delicate beauties that she raises and then feeds in her garden. Julie also admits that, “(I) can’t resist the perfect shot of an old stone barn, round hay bales in an autumn field, a field of bright orange milo, a windmill against a blue Kansas summer sky, or bright red maple trees reflected on a still lake. The Kansas 150 Art Competition is the first major competition she has entered.
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KANSAS REST STOP| 11”X14”
PHOTOGRAPHY
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DOLORIS PEDERSON
Since painting is a universal visual language, Doloris Pederson considers her desire to paint as her most cherished possession. Doloris is a native Kansan and has been professionally active for over 40 years as an artist, art instructor, and art collector. Doloris is a plein air painter best known for her paintings of landscapes, vistas of the prairie, and wetlands. She also is known for her paintings of California, and Western Europe, especially Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. In addition to a degree in fine arts from Fort Hays State University, she has studied at the University of California at Los Angeles, the California Art Institute in Westlake Village, CA, and the Scottsdale Arts School in Scottsdale, AZ. After residing in Southern California for over 35 years, Doloris returned to Kansas in 2005 to paint her native Kansas countryside. On this return trip, she and her husband found a homestead near Russell. Doloris also found the Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira, which opened an endless source of inspiration to her. While in California, she participated in painting events to benefit the endangered landscape, playas, wetlands, and its species. She now hopes to do the same here in Kansas. “Now changing seasons, diverse species of plants and animals, migrating birds, spectacular sunrises and sunsets and the prairie give a familiar voice to my expression,” says Pederson, whose work evokes a sense of serenity and wonder. Her work is included among the collections of Joan Irvine Smith, Irvine, CA; The Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Barbara, CA; the Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA; Hadley Foundation Collection, Hays, KS; and many private national and international collections. Doloris is a member of the California Art Club and the Oil Painters of America.
EARLY WINTER SUNSET |16”X20”
OIL (UPPER LEFT)
SUNSET ON THE BREEZE OF THE MARSHLAND|20”X30” OIL (UPPER RIGHT) MIGRATION TO THE HEART OF THE BIWAYS |24”X30” OIL (LOWER LEFT) MARSH SOLITUDE | 12”X16”
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OIL (LOWER RIGHT)
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SINGLE EGRET/ CHEYENNE BOTTOMS WETLANDS |16”X20”
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LYN PHARISS
Painting has been a life long journey for Lyn Phariss. Growing up on a farm in Missouri, she spent a great deal of her time drawing. As an adult, Lyn enrolled in several classes with various artists near her home in Kansas City and has continued her education by taking workshops with nationally known artists. Lyn is a very active member of the art world where she has been a driving force in establishing plein air paint-outs in Kansas and Missouri. She is a Signature Member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society and the Plein Air Artists in Colorado, as well as an associate member of Oil Painters of America, Women Artists of the West, American Plains Artist, Women Artists of the Midwest and Tucson Plein Air Painters Society. A love of the plein air style has allowed her to paint in many locations in the U.S. and abroad, but she says that her love of the American West draws her back again and again. Her work has been included in many national group shows, as well as regional solo and group shows. She has been honored with many awards from national art organizations across the country.
AFTER THE STORM|9”X12” WHAT A SKY|12”X32”
OIL (UPPER RIGHT)
LOADIN’ |8”X10” KANSAS U.S.A. | 11”X14”
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OIL (UPPER LEFT)
OIL (LOWER LEFT)
OIL (LOWER RIGHT)
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DISTANT PATCHES |16”X20”
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CAROL PHILLIPS
Lifelong Kansan Carol Phillips developed a passion for oil painting 40 years ago. She especially likes sharing her artwork with others by fulfilling requests for renderings of their pets, vacation spots or family homesteads. Carol has been challenged with requests to paint on everything from rocks, to fan blades, and from sleds to large canvasses. Carol has created beautiful floor to ceiling murals at the church where she attends, and most recently created a highly realist painting of a fireplace that was part of the Downtown Inc. Christmas decorations displayed on Kansas Avenue in Topeka, KS.
FARM AT SUNRISE |20”X16”
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KANSAS FARM | 18”X24”
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BEVERLY DODGE RADEFELD
With a BFA from Washburn University, Beverly Dodge Radefeld worked as an activity therapist at the renowed Menninger Foundation in Topeka, KS, where she used art as a vehicle to help the healing process. In addition, she ran a small business and volunteered in the community teaching kids and adults many of the art techniques for which she has a deep passion. Early in her career, Beverly found soft sculpture as an outlet to deal with personal grief. Her soft sculpture work has been shown nationwide and throughout England, Ireland and Japan. Twice, her work was selected to ornament the White House Christmas Tree. A few years ago Beverly participated at a plen air retreat, which rekindled her passion for painting. “This really got me excited about the landscape we live in,” she said. “I love the simple shapes of the Flint Hills and the color of the open sky. My oil paintings have been the vehicle for me to express these feelings and have allowed me to capture the movement and colors of the soft sculptures that I enjoy.”
DOWN THE ROAD, A VIEW OF THE FLINT HILLS | 20”X20”
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PAMELA REES
Pamela Rees was born and raised in northeast Kansas and has lived in rural Lecompton for the past 35 years. She began painting in 1998, and studied with Marty Mavrovich, learning the Old Masters technique of painting with oils. Pamela is drawn to the endless rolling hills and vast skies of the Kansas Flint Hills and says she takes “inspiration” drives to the hills numerous times during the year, taking in each change of the season. When she is in the prairie, Pamela feels a strong connection to the area. She tries to absorb “the spirit” of the place and then recreate that feeling on canvas. Pamela is a member of the Lawrence Art Guild and the Topeka Art Guild.
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SKY ON FIRE, SUNSET ON THE KONZA PRAIRE | 16”X20”
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SHELA REILLEY
Multi-talented artist Shela Reilley was born and raised in a small town in northwest Kansas, She graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and has worked as a children’s wear clothing designer and graphic artist in New York City for London Fog, Jordache, Gitano and Simplicity Pattern Company. After five years in New York City, she married and moved to the San Francisco Bay area for two years before moving to Aurora, Colorado. Shela continues to work in the fashion industry by providing freelance design and graphics for a New York company. Passionate about painting, Shela loves the colors, textures, shapes and atmosphere of the Midwest landscape. She makes frequent trips to Kansas to collect reference for her paintings and especially likes the big skies, open space and shadow patterns in the evening. Working almost exclusively in pastel, Shela believes this medium provides the rich and vibrant colors which she enjoys. She uses a variety of pastel sticks that range in consistency from hard to very soft, each producing a different effect, and works on a variety of supports including pastel papers and gessoed boards. Shela has won numerous awards for her artwork, including multiple “Best of Show” awards in the Gateway to the Rockies Show. She has taken many art workshops and classes and has studied with Doug Dawson at the Denver Art Students League.
SUNSET TRAIL | 8”X10” WHEET STUBBLE | 16”X20”
PASTEL (UPPER LEFT) PASTEL (LOWER LEFT)
BIG SKY OVER KANSAS | 9”X12” PASTEL (LOWER RIGHT)
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FARM AT SUNSET| 11”X14”
PASTEL
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CHUCK ROACH
Chuck Roach was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Wichita, Kansas. Following military service, he attended Wichita State University and Kansas State College of Pittsburg, where he graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree and a major in industrial design. While that curriculum included design and graphic arts classes, he continued the study of oil painting on his own, including the use of classical techniques and materials. Following work as a designer for a large engineering company he chose to go to law school at the University of Kansas. Upon graduation, he took a position with a small, independent oil company as corporate counsel. It was during this time that his artistic outlet became photography, primarily due to the demands of family and work. The photography developed in him a strong sense for composition and lighting. Over the past few years, Chuck has gone back to oil painting in a realistic style, both landscape and classical still life. He has earned many awards for his oil paintings, most notably being juried into the 2009 Paint the Parks Top 100 national competition and the 2010 Award of Merit for oil paintings at the Wichita Center for the Arts Faculty/ Student competition. Chuck served as President of the Kansas Art Guild in 2010, and is currently the President of the Kansas Academy of Oil Painters.
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THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME| 16”X20”
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SUSAN ROSE
Raised in an Army family, Susan Rose traveled extensively oversees, but saw little of the United States. When her military husband was given orders to report to Ft. Riley, Kansas, she was excited to see a part of the country that was new to her. Speaking about that experience, Susan says, “I still remember seeing the Flint Hills for the first time as we drove in on I-70. I was so excited that it brought tears of joy and captured my heart.” Susan and her family made Kansas their home about 24 years ago and now live on a small farm in Wabaunsee Township right in the middle of those beloved hills. Primarily self-taught, Susan had always had an interest in art, but did not have the opportunity outside of high school art classes for formal instruction. In creating her artwork she is challenged to try to capture and express the emotion she feels as she views “God’s canvas” and the wonder of the life around her. She is particularly drawn to the contrast created by light and shadow, the play of sunlight and the changing colors of the grasses. Painting the Kansas sky is one of her favorite subjects.
RITE OF PASSAGE |12”X12” FLINT HILLS TRIPTYCH |
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THREE PANELS
8”X10”
ACRYLIC (LEFT)
ACRYLIC (BELOW)
The Artistic Perspective
LAND OF SKY AND HILLS | 20”X30”
ACRYLIC
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DEB SCHROER
Living near Strong City for most of her life has allowed Kansas artist Deb Schroer to experience firsthand the beauty of the Flint Hills. Through her art, Deb is aspiring to create a special mood or simply a fond memory of the everyday life in the Flint Hills. Her paintings are a symbol of the love she has for the land, its people and life in the Flint Hills. Working in oils, pastel and acrylic, she portrays a wide variety of subjects, including landscapes, portraits, animals, rodeo and Western art.
AFTERNOON SHOWER | 24”X30” OIL (UPPER LEFT) INTO THE PRAIRIE | 24”X30” OIL (UPPER RIGHT) PASSING STORM | 20”X30” OIL (LOWER LEFT) SPRING FIRES | 20”X30” OIL (LOWER RIGHT)
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PRAIRIE INVITATION | 24”X30”
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ANN SELF
From an early age, Ann Self loved drawing and painting. Living in many places across the United States and in Europe, she painted and drew whenever she could, taking advantage of the art instruction offered by her schools. After studying art at the University of Houston, she worked several years as a commercial artist. She continued to hone her talent by taking workshops from such well-known artists as Dave Wade, Curt Walters, William Scott Jennings, Matt Smith and Morgan Samuel Price. Ann participates in exhibitions and competitions throughout the United States. She has been featured in International Artist magazine and Wildlife Art. She is a member of Oil Painters of America, Society of Animal Artists, and a Signature Member of American Women Artists. Her paintings hang in private and corporate collections across the country.
FIELD OF SUN |16”X20”
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OIL
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MIDWEST FEED | 11”X14”
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VIRGINIA GRASS SIMMONS
Wichita oil painter Virginia Grass Simmons is the Program Director at the Kansas Academy of Oil Painters and teaches classes at the Wichita Center for the Arts. She has been accepted with awards in many notable juried shows including the Russell’s Original Art Review in Russell, Kansas; Salon International; the Thirtieth Annual Prairie Art Exhibition; and the American Plains Artist Annual Juried Exhibit.
KANSAS SUMMER | 14”X18” EARLY WINTER | 24”X24”
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OIL (ABOVE) OIL (RIGHT)
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SUNFLOWERS | 20”X18” OIL
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EDWIN SMITH
Edwin Smith is a self-taught artist who paints realistic acrylic paintings of animals. He draws detailed sketches of animal anatomy and action to start a painting. Edwin also likes the vivid colors of sunsets and powerful displays of storms. His aim is to catch the ultimate dramatic image using action and lighting to create a sense of awe as he works to express the power and majesty of creation through his paintings. Edwin has lived on a farm in Eastern Kansas for most of his life where he practiced photographing cattle and local landscapes. Inspired by the big game animals on display at the Museum of National History in Dyche Hall Museum at the University of Kansas, Edwin began drawing and painting animals while attending KU in the 1960s. Today, he continues exploring animal photography at zoos and museums and also chases and photographs Kansas storms and tornadoes.
BUFFALO - LORD OF THE PRAIRIE |24”X28”
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ACRYLIC (OPPOSITE PAGE)
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EMILY SOLLARS
While studying interior design at the University of Kansas, Emily Sollars began painting with oils. After college she worked as a commercial interior designer, which provided her training and an opportunity to explore spatial relationships. In 2009, she returned to college to study the sciences as well as painting and life drawing. These recent experiences gave her a fresh perspective for this art competition. She says, “Painting is about texture and color. The viscosity of oils allows me to capture the textural aspects of my subject. Through the layering of paint, I try to expose and define texture. The layers show the object’s relationship to its surroundings. I use brushstrokes and color to express emotion and movement.” Emily said it is through painting that she is able to study and learn the subtle beauty of nature. “Although sunflowers are common in Kansas, I had never observed in detail a sunflower field before the summer of 2010,” she explains. “The flowers were not in neat little rows, but scattered into a chaotic sea of blossoms. The tall, thick stalks made the flowers appear powerful and a magnificent force. It was hard to walk amongst them. It was akin to walking in a dense forest rather than a field of delicate flowers. The condensed ground of the sunflower field contrasts sharply with the billowing sky. The open landscape of Kansas accentuates the sky. As the air heavy with humidity and dust blankets the field, the sunflowers ride with the wind. They present a magnificent stoicism truly iconic of Kansas.”
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TOWARDS THE SUN | 18”X36”
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JENNIFER SOMERS
Topeka artist Jennifer Somers is best known for her dramatic photography of the Kansas landscape. For the past several years she has worked as a coordinator and planner for Cedar Crest which serves as the Kansas Govenor’s residence, while building her art career part time. Recently, she has embarked on the journey of pursuing her art full time. “I draw my inspiration from the Kansas landscape,” Jennifer says, “and much like the ever changing weather, my photographs exhibit the state’s varying temperaments. From prairie fires lighting the night skies to hills laden with wind turbines against brooding clouds, there are no defining limits to my photography. I choose not to limit my choice of subject or technique, instead photographing both urban and rural settings and embracing both modern technology and traditional methods. Through my photographs I seek to share with others how I envision my surroundings.”
PRAIRIE FLAMES RISING | 20”X30” PHOTOGRAPH (UPPER LEFT) PRARIE SENTINELS| 20”X30” PHOTOGRAPH (UPPER RIGHT) WATER AND WARMTH | 20”X30” PHOTOGRAPH (LOWER LEFT) NIGHT LIGHT | 20”X30” PHOTOGRAPH (LOWER RIGHT)
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ENCIRCLED TREE | 30”X20” PHOTOGRAPH
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DIANE STOLZ
Diane Stolz grew up in New York City and studied at the Art Students League in New York. She holds Signature status with the Kansas Watercolor Society, Missouri Watercolor Society, Mid-America Pastel Society and several others. She has exhibited and won awards all over the United States, including at the Salmagundi Club in New York. When she married and moved to the Midwest, Diane completed her education at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, earning a degree in art and music. She went on to study watercolor painting with internationally known artist, Zoltan Szabo, and pastel with Donna Aldridge, PSA. Diane continues her studies through workshops with Phil Starke and many other fine artists.
FLINT HILLS COUNTRY |18”X24”
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PASTEL
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ENSLEY GARDENS, KS | 11”X14”
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JEAN TERRY
Jean Terry grew up on a vegetable and grain farm in upstate New York. This country life gave her a lasting appreciation for outdoor labor and rural settings – frequent subjects of her paintings. Since 1978, Kansas has been her home. In 1995 Jean took up painting and studying art full time. At present, she works mainly in pastels where her realistic style is enhanced by color. Jean has participated in numerous juried shows including: The American Royal Western Art Show; Pastel National; Vision of the Flint Hills; Albrecht - Kemper Museum; National Heartland Artist Exhibition; Art Westport; and the International Art Show. Her work has won awards in numerous exhibitions including: International Art Show, National Heartland Artist Exhibition, Pastel Journal , The 8th Annual and the 5th Annual Pastel 100 Competition, Albrecht - Kemper Museum, and Paint the Parks Top 100. She is a Signature Member of the Mid-America Pastel Society, Pastel Society of America and a member of the Greater Kansas City Art Association. Her work is represented in many private and corporate collections.
TRIBUNAL |11”X24”
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PASTEL
The Artistic Perspective
FLINT HILLS FOLDS | 16”X27”
PASTEL
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LOUISE THIES
With subjects as diverse as landscapes, still life and portraiture, Louise Thies usually executes her work en plein aire. She says she tries to evoke an emotional response from the viewer that is akin to her own when she first comes upon a scene, or when setting up a still life. Louise is a Signature Member of National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society, Plein Air Artists of Colorado, and Women Artists of the Midwest. She is an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America, Women Artists of the West, and American Plains Artists. She says, “I’ve painted most of my life, studied with many wonderful artists and made lifelong friends with a few. My artistic journey will never be complete, for I constantly learn something new. I love this life of an artist. I am the Painter of Paint.”
SHORELINE SIMPLICITY |14”X11” THE GATE|12”X9”
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OIL
OIL
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RIGHT)
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HUNTIN’ BOOTS| 11”X14”
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CATHIE THOMPSON
Cathie Thompson grew up on a farm in Eastern Kansas. and later moved with her husband and children to a ranch at the edge of the Flint Hills. She and her family now reside in the Kansas City-Metro area. Living in rural Kansas life has given Cathie a great appreciation for the outdoors and nature. She enjoys painting outside whenever possible. Cathie paints a variety of subjects, depending on her mood and availability of subjects. Most of her work is done in acrylic or oil and, occasionally, watercolor. “Painting, to me, is a mixture of playing, and the challenge of creating something that will be enjoyed by those who view it,” she says. “I like to paint scenes that, for one reason or another, remind me of past times, such as growing up on a farm, and later moving with my husband to the Flint Hills to raise our children. Landscapes and flowers in nature are my favorite things to paint and I’m drawn to scenes that include a road, trail, or creek.” Cathie says that most of her training has come from her mother, artist Jo Flager. Her art education also has included workshops from from a number of accomplished artists. Cathie has participated in numerous juried and group shows and her work has won many awards.
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KANSAS GOLD | 24”X12” OIL
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DON TILLER
Artist Don Tiller of Port Townsend, Washington, was influenced by the Fauvist movement, but with a touch of whimsy thrown in. His pallet offers the lively color of fluid acrylics which are used in a layering and glazing technique, creating dimension and depth in the painting, and also adding to the reverb of the sinuous lines and patterns within his paintings. Throughout his career as a professional artist, Don’s works have been published in numerous newspapers and magazines in the Northwest. He has participated in various juried and solo shows, and his awardwinning work hangs in many public and private collections. He is a Signature Member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, a member of the Board of Directors of the Northwind Arts Alliance, and a member of the Artist Trust.
AMBER FIELD |18”X36”
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ACRYLIC
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STRIKE ONE | 18”X36”
ACRYLIC
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DAVID VOLLBRACHT
David Vollbracht is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America. He attended college at Fort Hays State University and completed his education in oil painting with workshops by internationally recognized artists Clyde Aspevig and Wayne Wolfe. David paints en plein air and in the studio, using his studies to paint representational impressions of the landscape of Kansas and the West. David’s paintings have been accepted for a number of regional and national juried exhibits including Oil Painters of America, Mountain Oyster Club and American Plains Artist Exhibitions. David says, “Living in Barber County has given me a great appreciation of the wide variety of landscapes around the area including the Gypsym Hills, ranch land and waterways that most Kansas do not know exist in their borders.”
SAFE HAVEN |18”X24” A BREAK IN THE STORM|9”X12”
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CHASING THE LIGHT | 24”X30”
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PATTIE WALL
Pattie Wall lived most of her life in Colorado before moving to North central Kansas. She received formal training in fine art and commercial art from Western State College and Metropolitan State College. Pattie was an educator for 20 years, which gave her the opportunity to teach art to children and adults in the medium of pastel. Now retired, Pattie has turned her attention to painting full time. She says that her best training is to paint or draw every day in her studio located on the farmstead where she lives. Her inspiration is in everyday living things, the world that she sees and the people she knows. Animals are often her choice of subject. She is frequently commissioned to paint pet portraits. Pattie says that she is fascinated by light on color, how it changes and gives effect to one’s view. Her goal is to provide her audience with the same experience. She works in many mediums, but finds that oil and pastel are her favorite. Now, with the freedom to paint every day Pattie says, “Life doesn’t get any better than this!”
TALLGRASS PRAIRIE TRAIL |16”X19”
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MARY DORSEY WANLESS
Mary Dorsey Wanless is a fine art photographer and educator living in Topeka, Kansas. She is an Assistant Professor of Photography in the Art Department at Washburn University, where she teaches black/white darkroom photography, alternative processes, and advanced digital photography. Her work incorporates personal experiences combined with alternative photographic processes. She has exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. Mary has received many awards for her work, including the Grand Prize in the SoHo Gallery’s alternative photography show, “The Krappy Kamera Exhibit.” Her work has been published in SilverShotz, Art Buzz, Plates to Pixels Magazine, Visual Overture Magazine, Lightleaks, Shots, and Feminist Media Studies. Her images will be included in the 3rd edition of Christopher James’s book, Alternative Photographic Processes, and in the 2nd edition of Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity by Michelle Bates. She received a bachelor’s of science in art education with teaching certification, and a master’s of arts in interior design from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She completed a master’s of fine arts in photography from Kansas State University.
SUNFLOWERS ON A STORMY AFTERNOON 1 | 24”X30” SUNFLOWERS ON A STORMY AFTERNOON 2 | 24”X30”
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GUM BICHROMATE OVER VANDYKE BROWN WITH ENCAUSTIC (LEFT) GUM BICHROMATE OVER VANDYKE BROWN WITH ENCAUSTIC (RIGHT)
The Artistic Perspective
SUNFLOWERS ON A STORMY KANSAS AFTERNOON 3 | 24”X30”
GUM BICHROMATE OVER VANDYKE BROWN WITH ENCAUSTIC
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JEWELL WILLHITE
Jewell Willhite grew up in Iowa and went on to graduate from Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) with a bachelor’s degree in applied art. For several years after graduation she worked in the field of advertising art in Chicago, but says she has always enjoyed painting and has continued to take painting classes wherever she has lived. In 1969, Jewell and her family moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Jewell prefers to paint outdoors and does so whenever possible. She paints with acrylic paints on canvas, usually with a palette knife. The landscape of Kansas, especially the eastern part of the state, provides much of the inspiration for her paintings. Jewell says that she finds the colors and texture of the landscape as it changes with the seasons endlessly fascinating. She is a member of both the Lawrence Art Guild and Topeka Art Guild. She participates in the Guilds’ shows and also has had a number of one-person shows in the area. “I love going out into the world to paint the unique and beautiful things I see,” Jewell says. “I want others who couldn’t be there at that particular moment or who had often passed that spot unseeing, to view my painting and share the joy of what I found there.”
FLINT HILLS MORNING |13”X20”
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ACRYLIC
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BOWERSOCK DAM | 16X24”
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MARILYN WILLIAMS
During her years as a painting major at Wichita State University, Marilyn Williams focused on painting urban sprawl and the loss of agricultural life in America. She questioned what the loss of agricultural land and life style is doing to our land, our culture, our health, and our value system. In her oil and acrylic paintings, she has included imagery of agricultural products and land, and the people who work the land. She says her hope is to appeal to the viewers’ conscience and remind them that the heart of our culture was, and still largely is, agriculture and the people who work the land. Since her graduation, Marilyn has focused her paintings on portraying scriptural (Old Testament and New Testament) messages in a modern-day setting. She is striving to remind the viewer that these Christian messages are just as penetrating and worthy of our attention today as they were when they were recorded in the Scriptures. She also has returned to a former passion for wildlife and landscape painting. Marilyn has participated in a number of exhibits throughout Kansas.
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WELL WORN THROUGH HARD WORK | 16”X20”
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SPONSORSHIP
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STATE OF THE ART|KANSAS ■ 169
SPONSORSHIP
Downtown Topeka Ad goes here.
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ARTIST INDEX Allen, Michael James Anderson, Kathleen Bailey, Janet Barnes, Zak Bayless, Sandie Beeton, Ronald Blackwood, Susan Boone, Lori Broughton, Alice Buie, Margaret Carrington, Donna Cahsman, Naomi Clements, Jim Cobb, Kathleen Courtney, Orville Dawn, Staci Denny, Steve Dewey, Wes Duane, Michael Eidson, Stephen Ferguson, Marty Flager, Jo Flanders, Jane Friedland, Howard Frisbie, Rick Frye, Doug
The Artistic Perspective
24 26 28 30 32 18 34 36 38 40 42 44 16 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 12
Graham, Cheri Goesser, Debra Joy Gude, Anthony Benton Hamilton, Louise Brock Hanks, Johanna Hassett, Dana Healy, Delores Hsia, C.T. (Fred) Hubbard, Robert Hutchison, Louise Jamison, Apollonia Jessee, Pat Kirchhofer, Jack Knittel, Pauline Krallman, Cally Leivan, Michelle Littou, Linda Livingston, Mike Loebel, Janet Luber, Kristine, Lyon, Peggy Mackey, Judith Morgan, Jancy Olson, Cher Heller Palmer, Ann Pasta, Julie
70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 8 98 100 102 104 106 108 110 112 114 14 116
Pederson, Doloris Pflumm, Jeannie Phariss, Lyn Phillips, Carol Radefeld, Beverly Dodge Rees, Pamela Reilley, Shela Roach, Chuck Rose, Susan Schroer, Deb Self, Ann Simmons, Virginia Grass Smith, Edwin Sollars, Emily Somers, Jennifer Stolz, Diane Terry, Jean Thies, Louise Thompson, Cathie Tiller, Don Usibelli, Michele Vollbracht, David Wall, Pattie Wanless, Mary Dorsey Whitaker, Nancy Willhite, Jewell Williams, Marilyn
118 22 120 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136 138 140 142 144 146 148 150 152 154 20 156 158 160 10 162 164
STATE OF THE ART|KANSAS â– 171
State of the Art | Kansas In this book we present the collection of original art by artists from Kansas, and throughout the United States. Some of the artists are highly educated; others are self- taught, but each has skillfully created his or her own artistic vision of Kansas. Some chose a realistic style, some chose impressionistic, and some preferred abstract, edgy, or another stylistic effect. Whatever style and medium the artist chose to work with, “Kansas” was required to be the subject. Kansas is a state rich in history and beauty. From the forested hills and bluffs in the eastern part of the state, to the gently undulating hills of the tall grass prairies, to the western flatlands where earth and sky meet and seem to go on forever, there is something that stirs the creativity of the artists who live here as well as those just passing through on their way to somewhere else. SouthWind Gallery is pleased to present the unique beauty of Kansas through the eyes of the artists who contributed their time and talents to this effort. “A fitting way to highlight our State’s 150th birthday--SouthWind Gallery’s exhibition of 150 Kansas-inspired works of art. Many are landscapes inspired by the land which nourishes. And priced from $100 to $5,000, there is a souvenir of our 150th for any of us.” Don Lambert, author Homage to the Flint Hills “In SouthWind Gallery’s “State of the Art,” 80 artists, who understand the allure and the magic of this place, have captured well the color of Kansas, the immensity of space, the scenes of our everyday lives. Cheryl Unruh, author Flyover People: Life in a Rectangular State
3074 SW 29th Street Topeka, KS 66614 785.273.5994 or 888.206.5994 www.SouthWindArtGallery.com
State of the Art | Kansas