Come to Freedom Park to meet local artist Nagene Peterson and check out her installation’s colorful landscape, critter, and travel photos! This art exhibit opening reception is the perfect time to ask Nagene about her artistic journey, inspiration, and creative eye. Nagene will inspire you with her story of finding joy through capturing and sharing the beauty of nature’s colors.

Nagene Peterson’s Artist Statement:

“When I was a child, my favorite class in Kindergarten was coloring. The bright colors had been visible overhead in my crib and all around me from birth, but using those crayons to express my imaginary designs gave me the greatest joy. I loved the smell of crayons. Just one whiff and I feel the joy of being young again when things were simple and just plain fun.

Then life happened. Marriage, family, career; living on the fast track, meeting all those obligations, experiencing life at its fullest, had me seeing color reflected more in my emotions than in the world around me. Happiness was yellow, passion red, contentment blue, restful green. There were also the bruising colors, black and blue – However, as life sped up, the outside world seemed to blur into gray with oases of color.

I remember crossing the plains of South Dakota on a family vacation to the Black Hills. My young children, Mother and I drove through the fury of a very exciting thunderstorm and into the cleanest, brightest sunshine, complete with a full set of double rainbows arching from point to point on the horizon. It translated to me, the middle-aged member of our group, as a visceral statement of nature’s majesty. The awesome rainbow with all of its colors impacted three generations of my family that day, never to be forgotten.

It wasn’t until I retired, and time slowed, that the outside world came back into focus. While reading at the dining room table, I started noticing flashes of color outside the window. I had birds visiting my back yard with their colors of red, orange, yellow, green, and, yes, black and blue!! Wow!! My husband gave me a camera – digital bliss!! With my camera always at the ready, I could basically point and shoot. Since then I have seen, identified, and photographed close to fifty species of backyard and water birds, and I replanted the backyard garden with blooms of all colors. That led me to look around at the magnificent colors and moods that surround us in nature – when we take time to look. I started living color, seeing it, almost tasting it, and seeing stories to be told through the eye of my camera. I experimented with various scenes, improved my photography skill, and began photo editing with computer software. And, guess what? It was fun, exciting, and fulfilling being transplanted back into the natural environment myself.

When the new adult coloring fad hit the markets, I started using ROY G. BIV as my color advisor, and yes, with crayons, then colored pencils, then brush markets and gel pens, I dedicated my skills toward using rainbow colors on every page. I felt young again and excited about creating images with my own hand and mind. In addition, I experimented with enlarging some of my better photos, and even tried putting some of them on canvas. Was I surprised! The photos looked really great on canvas. I joined an artists’ group meeting weekly and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with people of a like mind. I asked them, “Do you consider photography as art?” They said, “Yes, let’s see some of your pieces.” So, I did, and loved sharing my work with others.

Thanks for sharing and having fun with me. As long as it’s fun, I’ll keep on the path of my new, colorful life adventure.”