Bear Butte Majestic II

“Bear Butte Majestic II”

11 x 14″ Watercolor on Clayboard

This is a new series of work I have been exploring: painting with watercolor on clayboard.  It is the medium I took with me to France this summer.  It gives me the immediacy of watercolor, but with a unique finish, and with the protective coating I put on, the painting does not need to be framed under glass.  This gives the paintings additional depth, which I really respond to.

This painting of Bear Butte is currently on display at the Spearfish Arts Center, along with numerous 6 x 6 inch paintings of Black Hills area sites.  Bear Butte is a majestic mountain, rising from the plains, and one which traditionally (and still today) is a sacred site for many Native American tribes.  To read more about Bear Butte State Park:  http://www.black-hills-south-dakota.com/BearButte.htm

I am fortunate to live in a beautiful area of the world, and have been immersing myself in painting it.  Watch for daily posts in which I will showcase these most recent paintings.

Vive la France

I just returned from an amazing trip to visit and paint with two amazing fellow artists.  Mariethe’ Salort and Janet Weight Reed and I (along with Mariethe’s wonderful and amazing patient husband Yves) spent 10 amazing days exploring the magic of France.  We did amazing things every day, and painted when the weather allowed: photographed when it didn’t.  I want to post some highlights, and direct you to my Facebook page if you would like to see more photos of the trip:  http://www.facebook.com/bonnie.halseydutton

The painting shown here was inspired by a visit to Maison Fournaise, the restaurant which inspired Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party”.  Nowhere near competition to the masterworks which inspired my painting during this trip: exploring the feelings present when visiting these sites and emulating the source of inspiration was an exercise in calm and reflection.  We followed up by painting the village rooftops of Chatou.   I’m looking for some interaction here: anyone been here?  Thoughts?!

Rock River Formation

“Rock River Formation” 12 x 36” Oil on Canvas

Bonnie Halsey-Dutton, 2011

This artwork was painted in plein air, outdoors in one sitting, on a sunny summer day on the outskirts of a Rock River, Wyoming.  The small town of Rock River is north and west of Laramie.   The characteristic white rock formations found in this area of the country are in stark contrast with the wide open spaces and colorful prairie grasses.

The Qual Ranch

“Qual Ranch” 12 x 36” Oil on Canvas

Bonnie Halsey-Dutton, 2011

This was painted in plein air, outdoors in one sitting, unusual working with this size of canvas.  This is a picturesque spot on the South Dakota and Wyoming border right off of I-90.  Being captivated by the beauty of the land in this area of the Black Hills, the artist long wanted to paint it.  As Bonnie was painting, a woman she knows stopped by, as it was her family ranch, thus the name! As always, it is a small world.   The striking colors and land formations take the eye deeper and deeper into the composition.  This painting can currently be viewed at the Sandy Swallow Gallery in Hill City, SD.  http://sandyswallowgallery.com


Contemporary Native American Topics Exhibition

I am currently exhibiting in a juried art show at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.  It is called “Contemporary Indigeneity: The New Art of the Great Plains”  Pieces accepted to this show explore the topic of North American indigenous culture in the Great Plains, with special emphasis on Native American culture.

UNL Announcement:  http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/todayatunl/1336/7832  These are the pieces I have in the show:

"Tale of Conflict" 8x10 Oil on Panel

 

"Bird of Thunder & Lightning" 11x30 Wc & Gouache

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting it out there…

The Downtown Association, in Spearfish, SD, is hosting Downtown Friday Nights.  Venders and artists are encouraged to set up and meet the public, and there is a live band.  People come to congregate and bring their lawn chairs to sit in the street and listen to the bands.  People dance and have a fun time.

I set up for several reasons: to promote the Spearfish Arts Center ( Matthews Opera House and Art Center) , to promote my art which hangs in the Arts Center, and to  support this growing weekly happening for Spearfish.  Those of you in the Black Hills area this summer, come check it out! For a schedule of bands:  http://www.downtownspearfish.com/  To see what is happening at the Arts Center & Opera House:  http://www.spearfishartscenter.org/

Within the Fabric

“Within the Fabric” 11 x 18” Watercolor on Paper

Once someone has visited my home, I can feel their presence there ever-after.  It leaves a mark on the very fabric of my life and my home. 

This painting represents the impact of presence and of change.  The Plains Native American culture was forced into change.  The animal which provided everything, the bison, was pushed to near extinction.  This impacted not only dietary culture, but also the clothing worn and the material in which dwellings were constructed.  Regardless, this canvas tipi represents the presence of culture remaining.  Tipis began to be made of canvas, and although forced onto reservations, the people persisted.  The Thunderbird is a symbolic form in Plains Indian culture.  The strength and tradition it represents remains within the fabric of this rich culture.

This painting will be on display for the month of June at the Spearfish Arts Center as part of the Artists of the Black Hills Annual Show: come check out the art created by our regional artists!  

 

Ceromonial Artifacts

“Ceremonial Artifacts” 11 x 18” Watercolor and Gouache on Paper

This Sioux shield, an artifact from the past, is symbolic of ceremony.  The materials utilized in its construction, the markings upon it, and the way in which it was utilized are all contain meaning.  The same symbolic intent is implied through the ancient petroglyphs depicted in this painting.  These pecked images (pectoglyphs) are representative of typical deer or elk petroglyphs found in the western region of the United States. (Thermopolis, Wyoming)  Ancient rock carvings held ceremonial purpose and meaning to the creators.  Although many of these artifacts remain and are valued pieces in early man’s record, their meaning is largely lost to history.   

Poppies Five

“Poppies Five”

14 x 18 Oil on Panel

Enjoy the coming Springtime weather… it is a gift, and embracing it is all we have to do!

April Showers

“Poppy Solo”

36 x 24″ Oil on Canvas

Obviously inspired by a favorite artist, Georgia O’Keeffe, this poppy painting is playing homage to my mother’s poppy garden and the early blooms of spring. I’m looking for some comments here:  what symbolizes spring to you?  Mine is this, along with the start of the legion baseball season.  Go Post 164!

We are experiencing a couple days of showers in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the rain is much needed.  It isn’t often that the fire danger is high in the spring here.  So, April showers bringing May flowers is a good promise of maintaining the beautiful Black Hills, and seeing plenty of green coming up!