Travel Kansas Through An Artist’s Eyes!

As a Kansan, and a true Jayhawk, I always delight in traveling the Sunflower State. Also as the assistant gallery director here at SouthWind, I get opportunities to see the state from many points of view on a daily basis. This is the beauty of working in an art gallery. It’s like taking a journey through the artist's eyes and learning to love the things often seen as ordinary and routine in a whole new way.

The experiences I have after I pass through an area that I have seen painted by an artist, a whole new world opens up!  I can remember distinctly traveling the Post Rock Scenic Byway after seeing Stan Herd's version painted, right. (My husband's family lives north of Wilson county so we pass through there often.) The recognition hit me like a rock and I said "Oh! Chuck Look! That's the plateau and barn Stan painted for this Scenic Byway!" I've traveled that byway countless times but had never noticed that old barn on the top of the plateau. And I'll tell you it isn't far off the I-70 turnoff - you need to keep your eyes open to catch it! It was an exciting moment that I wouldn't have missed for the world.

Having the chance to be involved in awesome projects like the Stan Herd Kansas Byways summer event in 2009 and the A Spring Day on the Hill plein aire event in 2008 make me grateful to be so closely involved in the arts.  Both of these projects brought new art and artists into the gallery each having their own point of view of Kansas. We at SouthWind would like you to have the opportunity to enjoy the experience of traveling through an artist’s eyes so we teamed up with Visit Topeka and Travel Kansas to give you this great deal honoring the beauty of Kansas!

Commemorate the Beauty of Kansas and Save 20% on the Stan Herd Kansas Byways (art inspired by the nine Scenic Byways across Kansas) Boxed Giclee Prints Set, Postcards, Note Cards and Poster and/or the “A Spring Day on the Hill” book featuring art inspired by the University of Kansas campus.  

To see everything for the Hot Deals please go to the SouthWind Gallery Website. This is an online promotion, but if you mention it when you come in... we'll give you the discount too.


About the Stan Herd Kansas Byways:

The Kansas Lottery commissioned artist Stan Herd to paint nine paintings of the Kansas Scenic Byways as the latest of the Made in Kansas lottery games.  Four of the images appear on the new Painted Byways $2 Instant Scratch game tickets.  The promotion also includes “Second Chance” drawings on November 13, 2009, for the nine original paintings created by Mr. Herd. The project’s goal is to draw attention to the scenic areas of the state while promoting a well-known Kansas artist.

Stan Herd, a native Kansan known worldwide for his gigantic earthwork creations, (one of which is featured on the scratch section of the tickets), and an accomplished fine art painter, was chosen for this project. Mr. Herd visited each of the nine scenic byways as inspiration for his paintings.

The Kansas Lottery teamed up with Kansas Department of Transportation, KansasDepartment of Commerce (Travel & Tourism) , Kansas Arts Commission and SouthWind Gallery of Topeka, to produce a series of personal appearances by Mr. Herd at the various Byways throughout the summer of 2009.

You are encouraged to follow Stan Herd’s lead and travel to the byways to enjoy the beauty our state offers. A day trip through any of the Byways – Flint Hills, Glacial Hills, Gypsum Hills, Frontier Military Route, Prairie Trails, Wetlands and Wildlife, Smoky Valley, Native Stone and Post Rock Country – provides an opportunity to commune with nature and discover the beauty and history through out the state.

Stan re-visited all nine byways communities the summer and fall of 2009 to promote the program and the visits were sponsored by the Kansas Scenic Byways, their web site at: www.ksbyways.org.

Signed Limited Edition prints, posters and note cards depicting the images featured in the Painted Byways are available through SouthWind Gallery, Topeka, Kansas.

About “A Spring Day on the Hill” Art Book

SouthWind Gallery, in collaboration with the KU Alumni Association, invited artists to participate in a mass “plein air” painting event that took place April 26, 2008, on the KU Campus in Lawrence, Kansas. On that day, 65 artists set up easels across Mt. Oread and, with paintbrush in hand, captured the renowned beauty of the KU campus. The result is an amazing body of work consisting of 100 paintings, rendered in a various styles and media.

The KU Campus plein air painting event was a juried competition that offered cash prizes totaling $2,250.00 to the top three winning entries. The event drew many professional artists as well as up-and-coming artists from a three-state area. Serving as juror for the competition was the distinguished Roger Shimomura, an internationally known artist and Distinguished Professor emeritus of the University of Kansas School of Fine Arts.

The three winning artists were: 1st Place – Barbara Waterman Peters (Topeka, KS); 2nd Place – Jim Clements (El Dorado, KS); and 3rd Place—Gary Ozias (Downs, KS).

SouthWindArtGallery.com