Missouri River Crossing, Bismarck, ND

This view of the mighty Missouri River that divides Bismarck and Mandan, ND, is not far from where we live. I’ve spent many hours walking and biking on the beautiful network of paths lining the river and winding through surrounding recreational areas. We keep our boat in one of the marinas in the summer and go out for a cruise with family as often as we can, sometimes pulling up on a sandbar and watching the kids build sandcastles.

The bridges, especially the railroad bridge with its stone pillars, are the hallmarks of the local landscape, and as one Bismarck hometown boy observed when he saw my painting, it gave him “the feels” for home.

This painting was done almost entirely with palette knife. I wanted to capture the rich texture of the landscape with all of the foliage in their fullest glory. It was chosen to hang in the University of Mary gallery in Bismarck after the 2017 Bismarck Arts and Galleries Association’s Fall Art Exhibition.