Before I moved to the Black Hills to attend college, the area was one of my favorite vacation spots.  I come from a part of the state filled with vast prairies and glacial lakes, which are quite beautiful and serene. But something about the rolling hills, gulches, canyons and caves of the Black Hills always made the trip home to East River very difficult.

It is no surprise that this area, with all of its natural wonders and rich culture and history has been the inspiration for various works of arts.

Last Friday, various artists whose work captures the beauty of Black Hills will have their paintings displayed at Augustana College’s Center for Western Studies.   The artists are members of the group Artists of the Black Hills.  Their illustrations depict everything from wildlife, Native American culture, landscape and the Western towns of the area.

Some of the artists featured in the exhibit include Jim Whartman of Nebraska (whose “Old Neighborhood” is pictured above),  Jon Crane of Hill City, Jim Pollock of Pierre and Bill Feterl of Sturgis.  If you haven’t seen some of their work, I recommend you take the time to aquaint yourself.  You’ll be impressed!

If you happen to find yourself in the Sioux Falls Area in the upcoming week, I recommend you get a feeling of the spirit of the Black Hills at the exhibit.  More info pertaining to this show can be found at http://www.augie.edu/cws.  Or while in the Black Hills Area, check out one of the numerous galleries housing the work of the Artists of the Black Hills.  A listing is provided on the group’s webpage.