Damn Good Land

“Damn Good Land” 11 x 18” Watercolor on Paper

The kitsch old west travel postcards and souvenirs is my memory of growing up in the west.   Recalling days that stopping at roadside attractions was an open invitation for someone to put a bumper sticker on your car.  I was always mystified by the idea of The Badlands as a child, so played with the concept of good and bad land in this painting.

Wall Drug is an iconic stop along the route across South Dakota.  Positioned ideally for petrol refueling across this long expanse, the town of Wall found pure gold in a glass of ice water.  The draw of a free glass of ice water and 5 cent coffee continues yet today.  Now, it is a fun stop where you can not only get gas, eat but you can even challenge yourself to a quick draw with a machine cowboy.  I’m headed to the Badlands soon, to paint and experience this desolate yet beautiful landscape.

Cactus Boot Jack

“Cactus Boot Jack” 11 x 18” Watercolor on Paper

A totem of boots and cactus plays with the romance of the old west as seen in the movie and in our collective imagination.

Although we don’t have a lot of cactus in the Black Hills, this boot painting called for them as an iconic design element.  I’m enjoying painting watercolor cowboy boots: how divergent thinking is that? Something rock solid in heritage rendered softly in a watercolor medium.  The setting sun, the prickly texture… the bandana to clean up and protect.  All iconic images: as well as the idea of a nickname: Jack, Charlie, Buster….  The title referring to a  boot jack is a play on words, referring to a device which is designed to hold the heel of the boot as one works it off one’s feet.  In the westerns, there was always some overworked woman there to do that for the cowboy…


Sitting Pretty

“Sitting Pretty” 11 x 18” Watercolor on Paper

My paintings are largely about texture and pattern.  I love the sentimental attachment I have to things from the past such as old wallpaper patterns, embroidery designs and leather tooling.  All are combined in this totem homage to the old west.

Yesterday I was “Sitting Pretty” as the demonstrating artist for the Artists of the Black Hills exhibition in downtown Spearfish.  It was a rare day of late, where the weather got nicer as the day went on.  I took my studio on wheels down to main street and painted on site.  It felt so nice to be in the sun, to visit with people who were out as well, and to do a watercolor painting of one of the beautiful old sandstone buildings on downtown main street.  As it is once again raining, I am glad I was able to work outside yesterday!

Prairie Dog Totem

“Prairie Dog Totem” 11 x 18” Watercolor on Paper

In paying homage to the old west, I stacked cowboy boots reminiscent of a totem pole.  To add whimsy, I added an unexpected element to the painting: that of the Prairie Dog.  Love them or hate them, a Prairie Dog seems to invite discussion in South Dakota.

What is it about old cowboy boots?  There is something that makes me think of another life when I see a pair of old cowboy boots.  Write and tell me what the iconic form of a cowboy boot means to you….

Blue Thunder Horse

“Blue Thunder Horse” 24 x 36” Oil on Masonite Panel

The imagery which inspired this painting came from a book of ledger art called the Henderson Ledger.  This book of Native American drawings dates from 1882 and contains drawings from several hands.   The image which inspired me is about vision and power and is filled with Native American symbols.  A Medicine Being is mounted upon a horse.  The horse is painted blue and is decorated with red hailstones.  The horse and Medicine Being appear to be shielded from bullets or arrows, perhaps protected by the shield which seems to be flying into the figure’s hand.  The Medicine Being seems to be listening to the bird, whose image is also adorning the shield.  Blue and red lines radiate from the Medicine Being and from the shield, and in my painting, sink away out of the field of vision.   At the far right of the image is a cross-like shape, often found in petroglyph art to symbolize a Thunderbird.  It dawned on me after reflecting on what I had painted, how subliminally powerful the Christian religion symbol of the cross was to the Native Americans.

Cow Punch

“Cow Punch” 12 x 24” Oil on Wood Panel

Painted as a fun homage to America’s colorful Western culture, the characteristic patterns found in the cowboy boots are contrasted by designs from period embroidered shirts.  Harkening back to my early imaginings of life in the old west.  The title of this piece is a play on words, and acknowledgement of what my artist aunt refers to as my “Kool-aid Colors”

This painting is on display at Warriors Work and Ben West Gallery, Hill City, SD.  Check out the special event hosted by the Hill City Merchants this Saturday, May 21 from 4 – 6 pm.  “A Party with Style” featuring fine threads for men and women.

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My studio on wheels has been sidelined due to rain… and more rain… and even more rain!  It is definitely GREEN in the Black Hills now.  Beautifully green.  When the sun shines, things are really going to grow…. like my lawn!


A Studio on Wheels

Black Hills LandscapeSpring in the Black Hills has  arrived along with my commitment to expand my studio: to the outdoors!  We have an old Jeep which has been sitting in the driveway, and I have now officially converted it into a studio on wheels.  I will be using it to travel to beautiful areas here in my own backyard, while I explore Plein Aire Painting.  That is the process of painting outdoors, directly from nature, while recording the immediacy of what is seen. This was embraced by the French Impressionists, and now my me with renewed vigor.

This scene is taken from the Old Belle Fourche Highway, looking back towards Spearfish, and seeing Crow Peak in the background.  The painting is unfinished, needing to dry now before final touches.  I am very pleased with the start: including the bug that stuck itself into the top right hand corner of my smooth blue sky!

Dato Red

“Dato Red” 12 x 24” Oil on Wood Panel

Two icons of western culture: the boot and the embroidered pearl button shirt.  The title Dato Red is a nod to an old name given to homemade red wine.

Any winemakers out there?  There is a growth of South Dakota wineries… I never would have guessed that South Dakota would become wine country!  Many of the wineries locally have “cashed in” on grandma and grandpa’s old wine recipes… chokecherry wine, wild plum, raspberry… What a great thing to bring the pioneer can-do spirit forward!

I had a label chosen for a local winery: Prairie Berry Winery in Hill City, SD.  They choose a different label design each year for their fall release of their “Pumpkin Bog” wine, which is actually made from pumpkins and cranberries!  Very harvest fest and to my taste, very good!  It was fun to be at their establishment this past fall, learning more about wine and especially, learning about the South Dakota wine heritage!

Going to Town

“Going to Town” 12 x 24” Oil on Wood Panel

This pair of old boots has been polished up and is ready for a night out.  Juxtaposing patterns from the past and having fun with the idea of decking ones self out.  I smile at the term “Going to Town”… if you know what it means, can you define it?  Give me a comment as I think this could be fun to explore.  I tried to define what it meant to a group of Columbus Georgia urban teenagers and found it lost hopelessly in translation!  A totally different age group and culture made it nearly impossible for me to convey what it meant without their eyes rolling and snickers.  No wonder we have trouble communicating across the world: Some things do not translate the same in different situations!

Just Dandy

“Just Dandy” 12 x 24” Oil on Wood Panel

This is a painting boot with “attitude” and one which needed the name “Just Dandy”.  The glow adds to the illusion of nightlife and stories this boot could tell.
This painting is a glowing image, from a series of 6 boot paintings that I created for Ben West Gallery in Hill City, SD.  It and the rest of the series can be seen at the gallery.  Check out others in the series on their new website at:

http://www.warriorswork-benwestgallery.com/