Pollock receives Harvey Dunn Award at De Smet show

Posted

DE SMET — With a record attendance of 83 artists at the Plein Air ‘Paint Out’ held in De Smet last weekend, James Pollock of Pierre was honored with the prestigious Harvey Dunn Award.
Artists from six states, including Mississippi, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa along with many communities in South Dakota, painted out on the De Smet prairies and throughout the community.
Receiving the most votes for their favorite artwork from the people in attendance at this year’s Plein Air  “Wet Sale” held Sunday at the De Smet Event Center was Lili Payne, from Minneapolis, Minn., winning the People’s Choice Award for her painting, “Ash at Morning.”
Harriet C Lievan from Brookings was honored by the artists participating with the Artists Choice Award for her painting, titled “August.”
A new event added this year as part of the 10th Anniversary De Smet Plein Air celebration were the Fiddlers of South Dakota, entertaining  the group Saturday evening on the porch of the Ingalls Homestead playing many of the tunes Pa Ingalls played.
The Children’s Workshop, led by Karen Kinder of Brookings, was very well attended on Saturday afternoon with 18 budding artists painting. Adult artists enjoyed the demonstrations on pastels and watercolors given by Jan Sohl, Rapid City, and Charlene Fleming from Willow Lake.

The Harvey Dunn Award is an annual prestigious honor presented to the artist who fulfills the ideals of the renowned artist it is named for.
Harvey, born on a homestead farm near De Smet in Manchester, was a successful illustrator, teacher, and was selected by the American Expeditionary Forces as an official artist during WWI. Dunn had a gift of being able to capture the beauty of the wildflowers, grasses, sunrises, sunsets, dramatic clouds and moods of the prairie that he captured with oils. The Harvey Dunn Society brings acknowledgement of the amazing legacy of this very talented artist and historian through this award.
James Pollock is a well-known painter nationally and a strong supporter of the Harvey Dunn Society activities.
His paintings of nature, people and emotions along with his life story are very similar to Harvey Dunn.
Pollock was born and raised on a farm-ranch on the plains of South Dakota, near Pollock. Following graduation from South Dakota State University, Pollock entered the U.S. Army where he was chosen for assignment to the U.S. Army’s Vietnam Combat Artist Program. Art works completed during this assignment to five man Combat Artist Team IV are in the U.S. Army Center of Military History permanent War Art Collection in Washington, D.C. Pollock’s work can be found in many private and corporate collections throughout the U.S.
He has served on the South Dakota Arts Council and was named South Dakota Artist of the Year the first year the award was given.
Susan Purintun, Harvey Dunn Society Board President, reported, “We are so excited with the large number of artists that came, painted, shared their work and enjoyed our Harvey Dunn prairies at our 10th anniversary of our ‘Paint Out’ event. It was wonderful to have several new young artists here painting. That shows so much encouragement for the future of landscape artistry in South Dakota. Our ‘wet sale’ on Sunday was so inspiring as it is the largest and most magnificent we have ever had.”

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

James Pollock of Pierre won the  Harvey Dunn Award last Sunday at the Plein Air “Paint Out.”

And next, Julie Waldner of Iroquois paints a picture of an old car she discovered tucked in a grove of trees near De Smet.