By Lana Smith

The local art group, Art & Soul, is up and running again with plenty of exciting happenings for the future. The pandemic may have slowed us down as a group, but many members have been actively creating on their own time.

On May 28, we had an informal get together at the Ullrich Ranch. Three members were in attendance and enjoyed a tour of Vic and Laura Lee’s yard, a plein air painting session, and best of all, homemade strawberry- rhubarb pie courtesy of Laura Lee.

Six members met on Thursday, June 26; the first regular meeting since the pandemic restrictions went into place. Roll call was to tell the group about a new medium or technique you have recently experimented with. Old business included the Karen Knutsen watercolor workshop. This popular class which was planned for next week has been postponed until next year on July 1-2, due to the pandemic. There have been no requests for refunding of deposits, so the class remains full with a growing waiting list. In other old business, Kate reported that the museum has agreed to display the backdrop of a Powder River County scene that we painted last year for the Centennial Musical. The group also is excited to have the opportunity to share our talents in the way of one or two new murals to be painted in the museum in preparation of a new display. We will also be helping to sort through, organize, and create a display of the many pieces of art that have been donated and stored through the years. Kate will spearhead this project.

For new business, it was agreed that Art & Soul would again sponsor the Grand Champion Youth Art Award at the County Fair in August. Sonja and Laura Lee made the suggestion that a variety of art supplies would work well as a prize, and Lana volunteered to make this purchase. Also concerning the fair, Lana reported that Stacie Ostendorf requested that our group help with some of the children’s activities that she has planned. Although several fun ideas for projects were discussed, none of those in attendance were able to commit to helping, so this has been tabled for now. Lana brought up the idea for a field trip, and the Miles City Waterworks Art Museum was decided on for the destination, with a possible side trip to the Tongue River Winery. Two of our members, Laura Lee and Kate, have work included in the current exhibition, so we hope to make this trip while the exhibition is still up. Kathy will make the connections to make this possible and when arrangements have been finalized the date and details will be provided via our Facebook page and Messenger group to our members. After some discussion about when would be the best time for another Art Show, Laura Lee suggested sometime in November, possibly the week before Thanksgiving. This show will likely be more of an Art Fair, with members and possibly guest artists from the surrounding area having work for sale at a variety of price points. A chairman will be chosen and more details will be decided on at the next meeting. Finally, Laura Lee presented an idea for showcasing our artist members in the local newspaper.

Deadline for 2020 memberships, which are $35 and would normally have been due at the beginning of the year, will be due by the next meeting, which is July 30 at 5:30 at the Lutheran Church. Current officers will remain in office until January, 2021.

The meeting was adjourned and Laura Lee, Sonja, and Lana stayed to paint a still life and enjoy the fresh strawberries, provided by Laura Lee from her garden, for painting and feasting upon.