Introducing the Celebrating Home Collection - An Ode to Kansas and Oklahoma
The Celebrating Home Collection arose from a deep appreciation for the places that helped shape who I am. This group of beautiful oil paintings capture the wonder of the great states where I’ve called home. I was born and raised in Kansas, so after moving across its southern border ten years ago, I wasn’t sure I could ever call OklaHOMEa! I still hold strong affections for the Sunflower State, but have embraced this place where the “wind comes sweeping down the plains.” What I have discovered is that these two places have a lot in common and both deserve a piece of my heart.
“There’s No Place Like Home”
Many of my earlier days began by watching the sun burst over the horizon of the still prairie. My optimism soared with the morning light as I headed out along the sunflower fringed gravel road…so much to be grateful for, so much to achieve. Cattle grazed where the majestic buffalo once roamed freely. Meadowlarks like fencepost sentinels sang their praises to a new day.
“Oh give me a home,
where the buffalo roam
where the deer and
the antelope play”
“Where Buffalo Roam” Mother &Child
Oil Painting | 24”x30”
“Ad Astra Per Aspera”
TO THE STARS THROUGH DIFFICULTY - Kansas State Motto
The American buffalo is the state animal of both Kansas and Oklahoma. These majestic beasts are symbols of strength and determination. They characterize the pioneering spirit of Midwesterners.
“Ad Astra Per Aspera” Buffalo
Oil Painting | 30”x24”
“Labor Omnia Vincit”
WORK CONQUERS ALL - Oklahoma State Motto
The buffalo or bison once roamed freely among the prairie lands of Kansas and Oklahoma. They are a symbol of the courage and perseverance that were necessary to "tame the West".
“Labor Omnia Vincit” Buffalo
Oil Painting | 30”x24”
“We’re from Kansas, good old Kansas, Where the great big sunflow’rs grow”
“Sunflowers Fringe the Way”
Oil Painting | 24”x24”
“Prairie Songs” Meadowlark & Sunflower
Oil Painting | 24”x18”
“Sun Chaser” Sunflower
Oil Painting | 20”x20”
DID YOU KNOW? The native sunflower is the state flower of Kansas which has also been nicknamed “the Sunflower State”. The state bird of Kansas is the Western Meadowlark.
“Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain”
“FIrewheels” Indian Blanket Flower
Oil Painting | 24”x24”
DID YOU KNOW? The state wild flower of Oklahoma is the Gaillardia, a cousin of the sunflower. It is also called Indian Blanket because it resembles the colorful blankets made by Native Americans. The elegant scissortail flycatcher is the state bird.
“Sweeping Down the Plains” Scissortail
Oil Painting | 24”x18”
“Buzzing the Prairie” Honey Bee
Oil Painting | 20”x20”
“To make a prairie it takes
a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.”
The honey bee is the state insect of both Kansas and Oklahoma.
“Melodic Breezes” Meadowlarks
“Wind Dancers” Scissortails
Oil Painting | 12”x12”
“As a child, I spent a lot of time wandering around the prairies and in the hills, and there was a sense that it was such a wide-open space, and there was kind of a feeling of potential. I could imagine anything happening there.”