The MonDak Heritage Center Announces "Perspectives In Nature" – Works In Oil & Photography By Jennifer And Brian Matthews

The MonDak Heritage Center announces "Perspectives in Nature" – Works in Oil & Photography by Jennifer and Brian Matthews on display through April 20 at the MonDak Heritage Center, 120 3rd Ave SE, Sidney.

Wife and husband duo, Jennifer and Brian Matthews travel throughout North Dakota and surrounding states capturing the beauty of the natural world. Nature and wildlife is the focus of both artists, but each discovers a unique point of view that tells different stories. Often their work is the result of close collaboration in order to create dynamic artwork. This show is the result of their work together.

Jennifer Matthews is from Bismarck, ND, and is best known for her realistic wildlife and nature paintings. She uses a realistic style, because she feels that "the world is beautiful just the way it is, if we would only take the time to notice." She has been drawn to the outdoors since she was a child, where she spent time exploring the countryside in western North Dakota near the Heart River.

Jennifer paints primarily in oil, utilizing the slow drying time for her blending and glazing techniques. She learned the fundamentals of art composition and technique in high school and since then has been self-taught. She feels that her best training has come from studying the details of nature and the work of her favorite wildlife artists.

Jennifer's work has been featured in many regional art shows, including being the lead artist in a wildlife themed exhibition at The Arts Center, Jamestown, ND in the summer of 2020, a solo exhibition at The James Memorial Art Center in Dec. 2020 and being included in the Bison in Art show at National Buffalo Museum, Jamestown, ND during the summer of 2019. She frequently displays her work at the Bismarck Art and Galleries Association, Bismarck, ND and was the featured member artist in Nov. 2019. Jennifer was also chosen to participate in the Artist In Residency program at Lake Metigoshe State Park. She spent the 3rd week in July 2019, at the park painting and working with the public. The North Dakota Council on the Arts and North Dakota State Parks and Recreation Department sponsored the residency. Her work can also be found at http://www.jennifermatthewsnatureart.com.

Brian Matthews is also from Bismarck, ND and is known as a photography educator and enthusiast. He has taught a wide variety of photography-related classes including overviews and introductory classes to more advanced classes in Photoshop and Lightroom software, light painting, studio lighting, composition and many more.

Brian prints much of his work on acrylic sheets. He has said the reason is, "...to simplify the presentation of the images and focus on the textures within the photographs." His early work was done with black and white film printed on large-scale paper. Computers and software now replace the techniques used in the darkroom to enhance images. The paintbrush used to correct the prints made from film has been replaced with a graphics tablet and pressure-sensitive stylus.

His images have been featured in regional art shows and chosen for the cover photos of publications and websites.

The MonDak Heritage Center is funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana's cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund.

The MonDak Heritage Center is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information call 406-433-3500 or e-mail [email protected]. Visit us online at http://www.mondakheritagecenter.org.