About.

I’m fascinated with dogs. Dogs are nifty alien-like creatures which have infiltrated our world. They live among us sharing common experiences. They are our companions on our life travels.

The Ojibwa folk tale explains it best,

“The earth trembled and a great rift appeared, separating the first man and woman from the rest of the animal kingdom. As the chasm grew deeper and wider, all the other creatures, afraid for their lives, returned to the forest – except for the dog who, after much consideration, leapt the perilous rift to stay with the humans on the other side. His love for humanity was greater than his bond to other creatures, he explained, and he willingly forfeited his place in paradise to prove it.”

Or … dogs are opportunistic parasites bent on living off their human hosts. It’s one of those two ideas.

I live with a pack of Greyhound dogs. They are my models and the main influence of my work. They are creatures of speed, vicious predators of small cute furry things, and aerodynamic missiles of death. They are liquid and line. They are bones, muscle and sinewy goodness – a raw, honest and natural dog free of poof or puff.

In 2003 I moved from Minnesota to southwestern North Dakota. I was sure that this would be the small quiet place where I could set up a studio and create work in my private cocoon making work for no one but me. I soon discovered that community is the thing. Sharing the work is not just beneficial, but necessary to the advancement of my artistic practice. Success is sweetest when used to encourage other’s artistic endeavors. Turns out like a dog needs her pack, an artist needs her pack as well.

Making work away from the populated areas of the world is a challenge. I call it Island Living – in our case the sea is acres of grasses. 70 miles to the nearest McDonald’s. 180 miles to the nearest Starbuck’s. We make do. We get by. The landscape is wide open and truthful.

These are the elements which I find most important in my work – truth, nature, line, bone and humor.

Stats
Location: Bowman, ND
Schooling: Dickinson State University, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Oxford University
Degree: Bachelor of Fine Arts Visual Arts (emphasis Printmaking)
Food: Carbs.
Author: Anne Tyler. Tom Robbins.
Beverage: Coffee + cream.

Honors/Achievements
Bush Foundation
North Dakota Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship
Greyhound Club of America Research Grant
Work in all 50 US States & 17 countries.