EyeCandy at Fort Ransom State Park
MINOT, N.D. – When Candace “Candy” (Olson) Brekke ’01 was the 2021 Artist in Residency at Fort Ransom State Park, a couple from Delaware asked her why threshing machines dot the prairie. Her response? They’re North Dakota art.
With an eye for seeing art in unexpected places, she was able to share that gift through her programming at the park. Her residency, intentionally scheduled during Fort Ransom’s Kids’ Weekend and Sheyenne River Fest, featured a nature walk and presentation.
“We did a little nature walk to an open field that had tons of different native flowers and grasses. I gave them all an empty color wheel and we talked about colors of nature,” she said. “Before we even started off on our walk, I asked, do you think you’ll ever find purple in nature? They just knew the answer was no. Then we walked and some of the blades of grasses had turned to shades of purple.
“It was nice to have everyone stop and look closer at all the colors in nature when they had the mission to fill up their color wheels.”
After a short lesson in adjoining colors, participants went their separate ways until later that night when they, and newcomers, met near the Visitors Center.
“When we started, I only gave them dabs of paint in the primary colors,” Brekke said. “Then we had little sticks that we picked up off the ground to use as our stir sticks and we started stirring up all our paints and made the whole color palette. Then we matched each of the things we had collected in nature to paint colors.
“From there, I told them they could paint, or they could combine items from nature with paint, or they could create a nature collage on a piece of wood. Everyone was encouraged to be creative and pick their own thing.”
Known for painting in vibrant colors, using a lot of texture, and often in the abstract, her week of respite allowed her to find expression in an outdoor, natural environment.
“That week, I actually dove into more personal themes, which I rarely ever do. I really grew because I took the time to express myself more. I stayed in a yurt, which was fabulous, and I just drug my paints and my canvas and created outside. I made a mess in the grass,” she said. “This was one of the coolest, most unique opportunities I’ve ever participated in. Just to be able to have a full week of creating — it’s unheard of in my busy life.”
As director of marketing at Ackerman-Estvold, a local engineering/architecture firm, Brekke is used to applying much of her creative skills behind the computer and camera. It was her passion for graphic design that led her to further her education at Minot State University after receiving associate degrees at Bismarck State College.
“I wanted more depth that I could apply to the graphic design education I already had. I was already employed as a designer when I came to Minot State, I didn’t have to go for a four-year degree,” she said. “I absolutely loved learning about the history of graphic design and diving into art, marketing, communications, and advertising deeper than I ever did at a technical school.”
“When I was debating on furthering my education toward a bachelor’s degree, I met with Bill Harbort (Minot State art and professional communication chair). His advising and suggested classes, along with what would and wouldn’t transfer, sold me. He spelled it all out and made the process simple. I don’t think people realize there are all these hidden gems for students, and the professors are like family.”
While paint and photography are Brekke’s favorite mediums for creating art, painting wasn’t something she began experimenting with until after she received her degrees.
“I’ve always done art but I didn’t start painting until after college,” she said. “I needed to get away from the computer, to free myself. Because even drawing is pretty structured, I needed get my hands dirty, experiment with paint, and discover what paint can do.”
For more art by Brekke including photography from her week at Fort Ransom, visit her on Instagram @eyecandyartwork or Facebook @EyeCandy by Candace Brekke.
The North Dakota Parks Artist in Residency program is supported in part by a grant from the ND Council of Arts which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for Arts.
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| Published: 02/04/22 |
