Works in progress, where I share what I'm working on and what I'm thinking about, and also show my Instagram feed.
a nature journaling spread in my sketchbook focused on the sunflowers in my front yard
During a week in mid-July, I'll take a deep dive into the natural systems of our state, learning more about what makes up Nebraska, from its rocks and rivers to the wide variety of plants and animals it hosts. I'm training to become a 'master naturalist' and hope to volunteer at state parks and refuges. After I get my bearings, I hope to offer some nature journaling sessions. Stay tuned!
Two paintings got boxed up Monday morning to make their way to the U.S. embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh as part of the state department’s Art in Embassies program. The new ambassador, Brent Christensen, chose “When the Grasses Whisper” and “In the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve” to represent ideas about the Great Plains. A curator with the program told me the ambassador spent time in Nebraska and it looks as though he worked at StratComm at Offutt Airforce Base in Bellevue before his confirmation as the new ambassador.
A previous blog post describes the pieces that have been in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for the past year.
“When Grasses Whisper”
oils on 7x30” birch panel
“In the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve”
oils on 12x30” birch panel
A two-man crew from U.S. Art Co. built custom boxes to carry my paintings to the east coast, where they’ll get loaded into a shipping container headed toward Bangladesh.
Please join us for our spring open house the evening of Friday, May 1 and all day Saturday, May 2. I'll have old work, especially oil paintings, deeply discounted. Consider it a "spring cleaning" opportunity to add to or to begin your art collection.
Some of these paintings focus on landscapes and landmarks. Some frames have suffered chips and dings from years of moving in and out of regional exhibits, some pieces were experiments or explorations, and others just need to find new homes to make room for new work. Let me know if you'd like to see anything before the open house -- I'm usually in the studio until 4pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and available by appointment.
“Pedernal”, oil on canvas, about 48”x30”
The Abstract National Exhibition at Mark Arts in Wichita concluded in mid-March and I drove there after spending a day at home. I needed to pick up a painting and wanted to spend a couple of days visiting family. We had dinner at the always-tasty Tuptim Thai. My sister and I caught up with each other and on some college basketball games at the new location of Johnny’s Tavern near downtown Wichita. I have very fond memories of spending time in the original Johnny’s as a college student in Lawrence, Kansas, and on many return visits there. The new location had nice vibe with exposed brick walls, vintage signs, lots of TVs, friendly staff, good food and a tasty brew specially made for Johnny’s.
Dinsmore’s Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas
Driving northwest toward Kearney, Nebraska, I saw a sign for Lucas, Kansas, a place I’ve known about most of my life. It’s known for the “Garden of Eden,” a yard filled with sculptures made by a Civil War veteran during the early 1900s. I couldn’t resist turning into the town and exploring a bit. In addition to the Garden exhibit, Lucas is a center for outsider artists and collections of their work. I spent time walking through the Grassroots Art Center and learning about many artists from the area who sculpted, painted and created artworks of all kinds.
Several things in Kearney prompted this visit. It has been years since I’ve seen gatherings of migrating sandhill cranes, and it’s one of the world’s important migrations. You don’t have to take my word for it. Dr. Jane Goodall has said so. I saw gorgeous sunrises and listened to and watched cranes lift off as the sun rose. I saw many groups in surrounding corn fields as I drove around the county.
sunrise from the Ft. Kearny State Recreation area viewing pier
cranes lifting off from their overnight roosts on the sandbars to forage in nearby corn fields
Another draw to Kearney was to see the newly remodeled Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) and the current “spirit of Nebraska” exhibit. The new space is incredible, with gorgeous gathering spaces and galleries. It was wonderful seeing so many of my friends’ works included in the exhibit. I also stopped by the University of Nebraska - Kearney library to see Leslie Iwai’s “Cumulate.” Part of the state’s 1% for art program, Iwai’s artwork was installed in 2024 in conjunction with the library’s remodeling.
Renee Ledesma’s “The Gift Crow” with works by Broghammer and Linder behind at MONA
a section of “Cumulate” at UNK’s library that shows how light illuminates the colorful layers and shines through the Morse code cutouts quoting works by Nebraska poets.
I’m grateful to have spent the time exploring, spending time with loved ones and filling my spirit with art and nature. Cheers!
house-made tortilla chips and four salsas — chef’s kiss!
Spring breaks have changed a lot over the years, from dashing home from college to earn money and offset expenses, to trips with our children around the country and across the sea, to simply spending time planning and planting in our tiny urban yard. This year, I got to join my husband in Los Angeles, where he was part of an international conference and I got to see friends, explore on my own and join him for lovely receptions and dinners.
The Loews Hollywood Hotel hosted the conference. Based in the heart of Hollywood, it’s where Academy Award nominees prepare for the annual “Oscars” awards event. Shortly after we arrived, we met up with a friend and found a restaurant next to the hotel with a lovely patio and delicious food and drink: La Popular. I had lunch there a second time during my stay. The Hollywood walk of fame is just around the corner, and we spent a few hours noting star placards in the sidewalk and fitting our hands into the prints in front of the Graumans Chinese Theater. My hands fit perfectly into the prints Bette Davis made. I’m sure that’s the extent of our sizes in common, as she was quite petite. We had a fine dinner at Gwen’s our first evening.
in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theater with names, handprints and footprints of Hollywood stars impressed in the concrete sections.
Paul Landacre, The Press, 1934, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The next day I caught up with dear friends and we all went to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and saw a cross-cultural printmaking exhibit and a whimsical collection of soccer-moment dioramas. That evening, we got to see Ron Carter, a jazz legend who is still playing masterfully at 89 years of age, perform in a quartet at the Catalina Jazz Club. It’s a memory I’ll hold for the rest of my life. The players were so attuned to one another and joyful expressions danced between them as the melodies and percussion moved through the intimate setting.
No visit to Los Angeles seems complete without some time spent at Venice Beach, where the cult of the physical body reigns supreme. After strolling along the beachfront path, we stopped for lunch. We watched the fog roll in and felt the air cool as we sat on the patio at the Sidewalk Cafe. The temperature drop was refreshing after a couple of unseasonably hot days.
I rounded out my time with poolside reading and watching NCAA basketball games and enjoying a late-evening reception in the hotel’s panorama room overlooking Hollywood’s twinkling lights on my last night there.