Artists

Born in Wisconsin, Sally now lives on the farm she and her husband tend west of Irene, South Dakota, growing corn and soybeans.  Having spent her childhood with horses and 4-H show cattle, she was taught to love the vistas of the mid-west by her veterinarian father.  As a result, Sally has taken photos of the life and land around her, as she went from working for the USDA to raising five sons to nursing at the Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.  “I love to photograph the rolling prairies of the Dakotas,” she has written, “All that I capture is a gift from God.”

Originally from Stickney, Darwin has lived in Chamberlain for several years with his wife, Bonnie.  He recently retired from work with the local school district.  “I have always liked working with wood and being creative,” he explained.  Making complex and carefully crafted cutting boards, serving trays, coasters, etc. allows him to serve both interests.  “I’m very grateful for all the people who encouraged me, and bought items to help me along the way,” Darwin said of his artistic path, “Thank you!”

After a few days of retirement, Mike Hanzlik of MH Creations, decided sitting around reading and watching television had gotten old.  When his wife said, ‘you have to do something’, Mike searched for a hobby and found wood art.  He laser cuts and engraves pieces of wood, creating jewelry, ornaments and wall hangings, including seasonal pieces and custom work.  A South Dakota native, Mike moved to Chamberlain 30+ years ago, and joined the Eastwards Gallery in 2023.

A graduate of Black Hills State University, Caley gained a degree in photography and photos from her final project, entitled ‘To The Part That I Know’, are on-display at Eastwards.  Originally from Volga, Caley moved to Chamberlain to live on her grandparents’ ranch and to enjoy the sights of Central South Dakota.
From her description of ‘To The Part That I Know’:  ‘These photos are from places important to my personal history:  my parent’s acreage and the eastern side of the state where I grew up, my grandpa’s ranch on the Missouri River, and the places in between.  Those who aren’t from the Midwest lack the appreciation for the simple sights, but to me, they reflect the beauty of where I’m from.’

Originally from South Dakota, David has found success as an artist in New York and around the nation.  He has returned to this area to be close to family and share his works with friends in Chamberlain and Reliance.  He describes his creative process as ‘finding paintings’ rather than making them, and David uses a mostly intuitive practice for his work.  David’s atmospheric abstracts and portrait paintings are a reflection of the natural world intertwined with various backgrounds.  He likes to show the duality of the old and new, and finds this to be a major source of his inspiration.

A resident of Chamberlain, Oakley lives with “my two feral children and five tame felines,” as she jokes.  She paints with acrylics and oils, as with the two pieces she is currently showing at Eastwards, but she has also begun making art burned into wood.  Oakley works at Dakota Plains Gallery & Gifts, or roaming around South Dakota, much like the Buffalo used to do.

Cheryl Paulson has displayed her lovely pottery at Eastwards Gallery since we opened in 2022, and she continues to be one of our hardest working artists.  Cheryl brings in new pieces throughout the season, expanding her methods, glazes and other materials.  Through the winter, Cheryl will be offering classes in crafting pottery in her Oacoma studio.  An experienced teacher – she taught at Crow Creek Tribal Schools for 25 years – Cheryl welcomes the opportunities to share her skills with this physical form.  In her spare time, Cheryl continues to do her own explorations of her painting and pottery.

Self-taught, Shiloh is an emerging artist from the Sand Hills of northern Nebraska.  At Eastwards, we currently have three of her smaller canvases of local landscapes, done in bright acrylics, showing the interplay between water and land.  Shiloh works in multiple medias and materials, and has been exploring her depth as an artist for over 20 years – basically, most of her life.

Ezra Moore grew up in Hill City, surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills.  “My passion for capturing nature started at an early age with drawing and eventually transitioning into the realm of photography,” Ezra wrote.  His photos are taken on foot as well as by drone.  “My first professional-grade digital DSLR camera was the Nikon D100 in 2002.  With time, photography became a part of my identity, providing me a creative outlet and enabling me to share emotions visually,” he has written.

Out of Rapid City, Quilts by R. Nana came to Eastwards Gallery thanks to the Craft Fair in Oacoma.  Her quilts are displayed there at Christmas time, and in the Gallery year ’round!  “My love of quilting started when my first grandchild was born,” the artist wrote.  “I used my quilting passion as a de-stresser from my work as an insurance agent, every evening…”, she went on.  After retiring, Carol dedicated herself to her quilting, for relatives and fans… and to her bowling!

Born in Kenya, East Africa, Linda Durdle moved to South Africa with her husband, and they farmed there for 31 years.  Now retired, they live in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, where Linda continues to paint all that is around her.  A professional artist, Linda attended school and workshops, studying under many of the world’s foremost artists, before winning awards and acclaim for her own work, in Africa and South Dakota.  Today she continues to communicate through painting, using realism and semi-abstraction, and exploring knife painting, acrylics, oils and collage.

Adrian has collected images from his travels around the world, shooting sights he’s seen out the side of his eye.  The curator at Eastwards, he shows select pieces from his ‘Scenes from the Sidewalk’ series, among the art of the over two dozen artists he has proudly met and encouraged.

A professionally trained photographer, Adrian is in Chamberlain by choice, having relocated from Melbourne, Australia, and Seattle, Washington.  Long before his move(s) east wards, Adrian traveled and worked in various locales around the globe and wants to bring them to his friends in South Dakota.

A transplant from Minnesota, Cindee married a Lyman County ranch boy and today the couple serve as Pastors at Water of Life Assembly of God church in Chamberlain.  Ever since she was a little girl, Cindee wanted to create beautiful art.  In time, she found abstract art and developed her love of painting.  Traveling, across 30 countries, Cindee has seen unimaginably amazing artwork, and taught art to young children who create images that speak from their hearts.  For the last three years, Cinde has painted something for her husband’s weekly sermons.  She’s been printing some of her paintings, or taking photos of them, and placing the images on mugs.

Originally from West Seattle, Washington state, Deborah came to Chamberlain eight years ago.  While she works in nail art, Deborah has found a further outlet for her creativity through painting with alcohol ink.  She does custom paintings, with designs and colors chosen by her clients.  At Eastwards, she shows her colorful abstracts on prints, paintings, cards, mugs and tiles – all hand-painted.  These bright explosions of organic and original shapes lend themselves to mounted art and decorating practical items.

Recently relocated to Chamberlain, David finds inspiration from living among the natural and cultural variety of Central South Dakota.  Self-taught, David has evolved his style from doodling and sketches to the use of colored water and pallets.  He enjoys playing with a variety of media, and draws his subjects from his various, and varied, life experiences.

‘The skies are vast and ever changing here in South Dakota.  This is my inspiration, calling me to fill most of my canvases with sunrises, sunsets, storms and just quiet clouds.’ – Doris Symens-Armstrong
An art teacher, Doris has had her works displayed across the state, and has won many art awards.  Her influences come from her creative parents and the Impressionists, but most of all, as she has written, ‘My reason for painting and sculpting is to first of all reflect God’s glory in the amazing landscape he has placed all around us.”

From majestic landscapes and to the wildlife of North America, Mike Sherman captures the essence of life in the pictures he paints.  Having been painting for 50 years, starting in early grade school, Mike has studied with established artists, taken courses, entered and won art contests and contributed his images for community projects.  Yet, Eastwards is honored to be the first Gallery to feature his paintings that so accurately capture the beauty of nature.  A dedicated artist, Mike has many paintings he created a decade ago but are only being seen by the public for the first time.

While living in Billings, Montana, Linda Gandy Fredrickson took an introductory course in oil painting – and began a passion that has lasted more than twenty years.  The beauty of Montana, with all of its wildlife, has been a steady and favorite subject evinced in her art.  With her move to Chamberlain, Linda has once again been able to pick up her brushes.  At Eastwards, Linda is displaying some of these new works alongside ones she created over the last two decades.

Sarah Weathers’ colorful photographs, mounted on canvas and foam, and carefully knit handicrafts bring bright, light touches in during dreary winter days or hot summer ones.  Her signature, lustrous florals calm the mind and feed the soul, and share her positive, hopeful perspective on the world.  Originally from Oregon, Sarah lives in the city of Seattle, and shoots macro photos of flowers and plants she encounters during walks around this urban landscape.  The honest emotions and bold compositions of Sarah’s work can be experienced at Eastwards, and on her website for Vibrant Poppy!

Dr. Rodman Gilder Miller carried on the organic style of his great-grandfather, Louis Comfort Tiffany, when he came to creating original glass art.  Rodman brought to his own works an incredible gift for color and for experimentation with tints and lusters.  After a career as a cellular biologist, Rodman switched gears to take up the family tradition of making glass.  He started with neon, and it was there he grew skilled with the less stable shades of red.  As he moved into art and architecture, Rodman created many pieces of public art, on display in Seattle, Washington, Taiwan and elsewhere.  Rodman also taught many other glass artists, in the skills of blowing glass and the use of colors and finishes.  In 2021, Rodman passed away, after a long fight against cancer, and leaving behind family and friends – and his own far-reaching legacy in glass.