USA Art stops in Kansas and Nebraska

We are having a great time at Mom's house in Kansas. There have been so many things to see that I didn't know the state had to offer.

Keystone Gallery on US 83 in Scott City, Kansas is a little stone house on the praise. The main features of this gallery are the fossil of the area, other states and Africa. It is a very nice set up and Chuck is a great guide to understanding all the different aspects of the state's prehistoric past. The artwork consists of paintings by local artists and pieces made from rocks, crystals and fossils. My mother got some great buffalos carved from stones (the indian blanket stone was the most interesting) and the paintings were mostly acrylic of landscapes. Our amateur art critic standing - carvings and jewellery pieces were outstanding for quality, the paintings needed more work in shading and seemed flat.

Also in Scott City is the El Quartelejo Museum and Jerry Thomas Gallery. The museum is set up as a timeline of Kansas History with beautiful displays about the Pueblo house found, settlers and local characters. Jerry Thomas Gallery is the most amazing setup I have seen. It not only holds his beautiful work, it houses history pieces that he used for the paintings and artwork that he has collected. His work with birds is better than any I have ever seen and the fort scenes have great detail that leads your eyes though it all. Mom fell in love with "Monumental Journey" but felt the groundwork was too flat to accompany such intricate work of the horses, Mounument Rocks and indians. This is a must stop in art tourism! and while you are in town visit Monument Rocks. This place left me itching to set up an easel and stay all day. Flat Kansas landscape opens up into the golith rock structures that are captivating.

In McCook, Nebraska there was a little art shop in town to be visited. They hold stain glass classes monthly and the work is stunning in this area. The artwork displayed was local artists and nothing there grabbed at us as a gotta have or aspire to. It is a wonderful town with inspirational views and buildings begging to be worked up on canvas.

I didn't get a photo of this gallery in Hays, Kansas, but it is a must stop on the artist trail. The work here is thoughtful, inspirational and provoking. A mix of medias and genres, each room holds something to keep you working the mind of possibilities. It's address is 112 East 11th Street in Hays and done by the Hays Art Council. The current Smoky Hill Exhibition runs until June 7th. I wish I had a scanner on this trip to show some of the pieces from the catalog, some of the images are available at www.haysartscouncil.org. My favourite is Gordon K. Sherman from Hays called "It just don't stick" and Barbara WAterman-Peters of Topeka, KS "MWS: Two Pandoras (POP!)".

There are murals and statues in every town that are must see inspiration:

Mural in Russell, KS is intricate detailed.

another in Russell, KS.

Oakley, KS huge dedication to Buffalo Bill Cody.

and inspirational places to set up easel:

Colby, KS museum with old church, schoolhouse, largest barn in KS, sod house, standard red barn and the museum is full of local history laid out beautifully. They were holding a local art show while we were there that had some great work.

Ft. Hays, KS has some original buildings, great vistas, buffalo and surroundings that bring history to life.

One of the largest Van Gogh easels in Goodland, KS. There were 7 of them made around the world of Van Gogh's 7 sunflower paintings. Makes you want to hire a crane to make a huge painting eh?

and my last inspirational item of this blog is the Old Town Museum in Burlington, Colorado. We bought two pieces here (darn need to find the artist's name, I have already shipped mine back to Australia). There are pictures within for you to find. The watercolour work itself is detailed stunning, Mom's piece is a forest background with rocks and water flowing over them. Within this setting you can find the faces of indians in the rocks, leaves of trees, etc. So far we found 11. There is also dried buffalo bones with etchings of pioneer history, rocks painted with local scenes, etc. The shop was great! Then the museum was outstanding. The outside is buildings set up as they would have been through pioneer history: the bank, post office, saloon, blacksmith, etc. If you are looking for content of historical painting this is the place to go.

Well off for now. This weekend is Fort Dodge wild west shootouts and Arlington Steam Train. Next week we set off for Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Always have pencils and sketchbook in hand!