Paper Sculpture and Group

Paintings by Bonnie Halsey-Dutton

We began our day exploring Prairie Edge Gallery in Rapid City.  This is the gallery which represents my art.  The group is posing in front of an amazing sculpture, made from paper.  It is the art of Patty and Allen Eckman.  The complexity of the texture and detail makes it most unusual.

Pictured here are four of my paintings, rendered in watercolor and gouache on paper.  I was introduced to the framing method on a trip to London!  This is representative of the art I exhibited at London’s Brick Lane Gallery this past May.

We had a delicious meal at the Firehouse Restaurant.  We each ate Buffalo Burgers! (and now we know they should have been called Bison Burgers!)

The Prairie is my Garden

We were treated to a tour of Rapid City’s Dahl Fine Arts Center, in which there was an exhibit by Harvey Dunn.  He is a famous artist and illustrator from South Dakota, who painted in an impressionistic style.  This piece is from the permanent collection at The South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.  Although we didn’t see this painting, it is representative of his regional subject matter and style.  (and I am too wore out to hunt up one which we actually saw!) There were also impressive exhibits by Darrel Nelson and Katheryn Myers.

We ended our day with a very nice trip up to Mount Rushmore.  The magnitude of the sculpture and wonder at how it was made continues to impact me: no matter how many times I may visit. It makes me proud to show my guests this impressive sign of American pride.  Tomorrow to Wyoming and Devil’s Tower!

Mount Rushmore prior to carving

Mount Rushmore

We ended the evening at The Loud American Roadhouse in Sturgis.  Sturgis, of Harley Davidson and the Sturgis motorcycle rally… and a restaurant famous for its “legendary steak tips”… and they were good!