"Prairie Poem Wetland Chorus"

art work © Dennis Dykema

2011 Artisans Road Trip artist Dennis Dykema has been working on panoramic landscape paintings of Iowa settings recently.  The artist describes them as being based on older Loess Hills scenes and also some very local ones as well.  For those out there who are less familiar with Dennis and his work, here is a little more background on the Spirit Lake painter.

Dennis L. Dykema was born in Worthington, Minnesota in 1940.  He studied art at Morningside College, and the University of Northern Iowa where he earned a Master's Degree in painting in 1970.  He was appointed to the art faculty at Buena Vista University in 1970 and has served there until his retirement in 2001.  In 2006 he and his wife moved to Spirit Lake.  Dykema’s  second-floor studio is located at 1720 Hill Ave. in downtown Spirit Lake, IA.

"Spring's Promise"

art work © Dennis Dykema

Dykema's paintings have been exhibited extensively, including shows at the Des Moines Art Center, Sioux City Art Center, Olson-Larsen Galleries in West Des Moines, The Brunnier Gallery in Ames, the MacNeider Museum in Mason City, and the Anderson/Obrien Gallery in Omaha.  In 1989 a group of his paintings toured Poland at the invitation of the Central Bureau of Artists Exhibitions. In 1993 his work was represented in the Fragile Giants, a touring show that focused attention on Iowa’s Loess Hills.  Dykema’s work from that show was eventually shown in such far reaching places as Washington, DC, and the US embassy residence in Swaziland, Africa.

"So Much to Remember II"

art work © Dennis Dykema

Dykema's works are included in many public, corporate, and private collections; among them, the Sioux City Art Center, MacNeider Museum of Mason City, 3M Company of Minneapolis, Norwest Banks of Sioux City and Des Moines, Principal Financial Group, Pioneer Company of Des Moines, Pella Rollscreen, and the University of Iowa Hospitals.  His paintings may be seen locally at his studio and at Art on 16th in Spirit Lake.

Meet and greet artists just like Dennis all along the 2011 Artisans Road Trip in just a couple weeks!!!  Friday - September 30 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday - October 1 and 2 from (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.!

For more information, visit the A.R.T. web site at - http://www.artisansroadtrip.com

Hope to see you on the Artisans Road Trip this fall!