During spring semester 2024, Grassland Expectations by Martha Daniels, was on display in Ellis Library’s Bookmark Cafe.
A plein air artist from rural Boone County, Martha Daniels enjoys sharing her love for nature through painting and art. Her background in wildlife conservation and nature education peeks through the paintings. Prairies are complex and fascinating habitats - the subject for many of her works. Martha sees art as a way to capture moments of beauty in the fields, woods, and rivers, then share those colors and forms with others as a connection to the outdoors. To her, art is a way to absorb the soul-soothing and spirit-calming aspects of the natural world.
Grassland Expectations
Returning to those grasslands I know best brings the greatest joy. I’ve been acquainted with many prairies all my life and I walk the game trails where my grandparents farmed and gardened. I carry on their reverence for the land and add a passion of my own for the health of the natural ecosystems that continue.
Watching the songbirds and butterflies move about milkweeds and coneflowers, so graceful and vivacious, are the best moments. There is a comfort in the vivid greens and soft curves of leaves and blades. Wildflowers bloom through the warm seasons and pull me out into the fields again and again. I even landscape my dwelling with the plants and insects of the prairie, to enjoy and learn more. As a society, we are being drawn closer to grassland wildflowers and all their pollinators; they are essential for our food production and survival.
Wherever life may tug me, to new places and fresh experiences, it is the prairie where I return to find calm. Seeing the sunrise while painting orange dotted fields of paintbrush or clusters of goldenrod and asters is an awakening in me of life’s most treasured moments and the fantastic gift of the life-giving prairie. - Martha Daniels
During the fall semester 2023, the work of Jane B. Mudd was on display in Ellis Library’s Bookmark Cafe.
Jane Bick Mudd lives on a farm outside of Fulton, Missouri with her husband Tom. She has three grown children and is an Assistant Professor of Art at William Woods University in Fulton. She works in several medias and has a body of work that reflects many different themes.
“The subject of my next painting or project is usually dictated by my daily experiences and exposures. I look for opportunities and challenges and I’m curious. I feel strongly about the environment, women’s issues, peace, and the importance of art in the world. I most often work directly from life but occasionally use other imagery for inspiration. Recently I have pursued several opportunities for public art.”
Learn more at The Fine Art of Jane B. Mudd website.
