Thank you to everyone and the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation who made my time in Medora memorable….June 4th-14th, I had the opportunity to teach a 4 day Spur Your Inner Artist with Drawing and Watercolor course at the Life Skills Center. Some of the workshoppers came to the Theodore Roosevelt Salute Performance and were asked to do blind contour sketches of Teddy (see attached photo)….Some had their photo taken with TR….We had a great time of learning and friendship with art skills expanding by the moment. My twin, Beverly, was an integral part of the 10 days as she promoted, encouraged, and worked hard to make certain that everyone had a great experience. We also attended the fabulous Medora Musical as a group .
In the three days following the workshop, Beverly and I hosted three afternoons of free drawing activities for children “of all ages”. I also demonstrated how to paint and sketch before the musical in the evenings.
Beverly and I posed with Cowboy Lyle at the Badlands Pizza and Saloon. I painted this portrait of Lyle two years ago. I met him about four years ago at the Hot Air Balloon Rally. He was out with his camera shooting pictures of the event. The sun hit his hat and face beautifully and I approached him to ask if I could photograph him. He seemed a bit unsure, but he let me take the picture and I painted his portrait. He saw it for the first time last year. Bev and I sought him out on this trip to take us out to the Park one night and show us where the wild horses hang out. He was the best guide and we saw over 60 horses. We took him for pizza the next day and he showed us lots of his fabulous photographs and he told us stories about them. Great memory! Sadly, Cowboy Lyle passed away two weeks after this photo was taken. May He rest in peace. We are grateful for our time spent with him, chasing around after wild horses. He blessed us in many ways.
Beverly and I also did some plein-air painting at Bully Pulpit Golf Course and in Theodore Roosevelt National Park- all a perk of being an artist-in-residence.
If you haven’t been to Medora, ND, pack your bags and go- the glorious wonders of the Badlands and the amazing people you meet will be worth it!
