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BROOKINGS, S.D.—The works of two South Dakota artists, Nancyjane Heuhl of Vivian and Dan Tackett of Rapid City, is on exhibition at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings through May 9.

Heuhl, known as an artist of the Northern Plains, uses color and bold brush strokes to paint landscapes noted for conveying an emotion of real time and place. Her paintings are of the contemporary world, but reflect a sense of the past. Her topics range from rural landscapes to urban downtown lifestyles of the Midwest and she strives to give the viewer a shared emotion of “Journey.”

“Last year my painting on location enhanced the process of editing and composing any subject I would want to paint, either on location or in the studio from photos,” Huehl says. “As much as I enjoy the shapes of the chosen subject, I find myself equally attracted to the shape of the space that is around them, which will make or break how the painting reads or conveys an emotion.

“As an artist, I have at least two obligations. One is to create; the other is to exhibit the outcome of my creative process to the public.”

Tackett, an artist and photographer, has worked extensively in medium format and panoramic photography, exploring the use of color and black-and-white photography. In recent years, he has concentrated on the digital darkroom, where his interest is to bring subtle details out of his negatives without falsifying the image. The finished images are digital inkjet prints known as Giclee.

“Since I have been in private practice in medicine, I have tried to keep my artistic embers alive,” Tackett says. “Although it has been a challenge to find the time, art has remained a critical and satisfying endeavor for me. I feel that I have learned much about photography in the last 30 years, but I also realize how far I have to go. The beauty of it is that there is so much to learn and each step is just as rewarding and mysterious as the next.

“It is my hope that I may someday switch from medicine to art for a living, while I still have steady hands, useable vision and the mind to explore. It is my desire that my art somehow stimulates a feeling of serenity, curiosity or satisfaction.”

A reception for the artists will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, April 16. The public is welcome to attend.

South Dakota Arts Council support is provided with funds from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Education and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Admittance is free to the South Dakota Art Museum, located on Medary Avenue at Harvey Dunn Street on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings. The Museum is closed holidays and open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.