A Long Road

January Pond

11"x14"

For the past 18 months I have been working on my first solo exhibition. It opens this Sunday here in my town of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, it's called "Our Town, Our Land, Our People." I spent years seeking representaion for my work in far away places that I never even visited, entered shows out of state, and that's fine but I think I underestimated my home state of Oklahoma. I was not born in Oklahoma, but I am proud to call Oklahoma home. As I was celebrating 16 years of living in Okmulgee; Oklahoma was celebrating its' first one hundred years of statehood. I was struck by the pride and unifying spirit of our people. What I have come to love about Okmulgee is the kindness and hospitality of our people, the subtle beauty of our land and how the people are directly connected to it. The muted colors of Autumn, the ice covered trees of Winter, the bright green fields of Winter Wheat, and the cool blues of our lake in Summer have all come to inspire in me a need to capture in paint this time and this place. Our town is rich in history, every building has a story to tell. My story is about Okmulgee, Oklahoma, a small town with pride, and a sensibility that anyone who lives in a small town can identify with. The response and support for this show has been wonderful and I am so grateful to everyone who has worked and volunteered to help me with this exhibit, and I want to thank them all. I guess the moral to the story is while you dream of success in far away places, don't forget that the people who are rooting for you success are right here at home.