The featured artist for the ArtWorks Cooperative for the month of August will be Rebecca Mulvaney. Titled “Reflections”, the show will have some of Mulvaney’s newest works on display. This series is part of a long-term series of paintings entitled “Conversations between Earth and Sky”. The most recent works show the interaction of sky and water. Mulvaney says, “I am currently interested in developing a new palette—a change from the earth tones of my prairie paintings. The water enhances the sky colors as they bounce off the surface. It’s quite a challenge to paint.” Images for this exhibit will include several oil paintings of regional lakes and ponds, as well as sunset images from Lake Huron in Canada and Maui. Mulvaney has been working in the Dakotas for the past 13 years, and finds the South Dakota landscape very inspiring. “It has given me a wealth of inspiration—the sky, grasses and open spaces nourish my art.”

    Mulvaney, who has wanted to be an artist since she was ten, says that she didn’t realize at the time that it would be a full time job, working in the studio, as well as marketing the work to galleries and the public. She says, “I guess no one thinks of being an artist in that way. We want to make beautiful pictures. So now I know that you have to do all those things, learn from the world and create original artworks reacting to that same world on canvas and paper, then find a way for other people to see and possibly purchase that work.”

    Mulvaney has had much support from her family that has enabled her to pursue her art. She has also been a strong believer in community arts development and has been actively involved in local and regional arts since moving to Aberdeen, in 1993. She is a founding member of the ArtWorks Cooperative, a long-term active member of the South Dakota Artists Network, and was the Program Director of the Granary Rural Cultural Center from 1996-2001. She was appointed to the South Dakota Arts Council Board in 2004 and has served as a Visual Arts Panelist for the SDAC for the past three years.

    There will be an artist’s reception on Tuesday, August 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the ArtWorks Cooperative/ARCC gallery. The gallery is located at 225 3rd Ave SE in Aberdeen. Regular gallery hours through August, are Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery can be reached for more information at (605)725-0910, or information can be found on the website at www.sdartworks.com.