For the American Plains Artists’ organization, originating in 1982, it’s all about celebrating the beauty of the Great Plains, the flat prairie land that stretches between the Rocky Mountains and the interior lowlands of the United States. With this mission in mind, the APA features an annual showcase, the Signature Show & Sale, for its signature status artist members (known for their high-quality artwork).
“The main theme…is the American Great Plains,” echoes Judy Irene McElroy, APA president. “It is a huge and beautiful part of the United States and Canada that is often overlooked in art. The artists in the American Plains Artists’ organization paint and sculpt artworks that depict the landscape, sky, people, wildlife and the life of the plains, in past or present times in order to share its many wonders.”
David Dorsey, Travis, acrylic, 20 x 20 in.
In approximately 40 artworks, artists at the APA interpret their perspective of the Great Plains through oil, acrylic, colored pencil, graphite, charcoal, ink, bronze, stone and mixed media—all in either a realistic or representational style, akin to that of Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington.
For artist David Dorsey, participating for his second year, he has the fantastic acrylic painting Travis,featuring a horse and rider among tall grasses and a shallow river bottom. “[This] is a piece that was inspired by attending the artists ride in South Dakota,” the painter explains. “It is an event for Western artists to go and obtain photo reference for inspiration in their artwork.”
Susan Temple Neumann, Deserted, oil, 18 x 24 in.
He continues, “Travis is the name of the cowboy in the painting. A true South Dakota cowboy who works on a ranch that borders the Cheyenne River in South Dakota. I was fascinated with the play of light on the horse and rider, and the idea of capturing the cowboy doing what they do in their everyday life.” These are the scenes Dorsey loves to paint—the lifestyle of the working cowboy in the setting of the open plains.
Eileen Nistler, The Morning Gather, colored pencil, 11 x 14 in.
Another returning artist, Susan Temple Neumann, illustrates her talents in the oil painting Deserted, a scene involving an old truck. “Most of the subjects I choose to paint are Native Americans, landscapes of the West, cowboys, horses and other Western themed subjects,” she notes. “My piece Deserted, was conceived during a long drive from Texas to Taos, New Mexico. As we were passing through a small Texas town, I spotted this old truck along the side of the road and pulled over to capture some pictures in the strong summer light. It has been there for years and years, and I’ve often thought about stopping sometime in town to see if anyone can tell me the history of how it got there. But maybe the stories this truck could tell are better left to the imagination.”
Additional show highlights include Debra Joy Groesser’s landscape Sunset Over the Dismal River, Eileen Nistler’s still life The Morning Gather, and Judy Osburn’s horse portrait Patterns of the Past.
Debra Joy Groesser, Sunset Over the Dismal River, oil, 11 x 14 in.
Join the festivities to witness additional beauties from July 5 through 26 at the Prairie Art Center’s Impact Gallery in North Platte, Nebraska. An artists reception takes place July 19, with details provided at www.americanplainsartists.com. —
American Plains Artists’ Signature Show & Sale
July 5-26, 2025
Prairie Arts Center - Impact Gallery
416 N. Jeffers Street
North Platte, NE 69101
www.americanplainsartists.com
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