This past May I was fortunate enough to spend nearly a week at the Prairieside Outpost and Cottage. My goal for my time there was to gather inspiration from the landscape to fuel my paintings and quilts. I spent a large portion of every day exploring the area around Matfield Green. I spent a day hiking at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, where I took a picnic lunch and my watercolor supplies. A six mile hike to the scenic outlook was extended by at least a mile when I spotted a few bison on the trail on my way back to the visitor center and had to make a detour around them. 

I also spent a day exploring Cottonwood Falls, Strong City, and Chase State Fishing Lake. The lake was peaceful and quiet. For a while, I was the only person there and it was the exact experience I had been looking for. 

Most of what I made during my stay at the cottage was experimental and didn't make it past the sketching phase. The first image, below, is a collage I made during my stay. The other three paintings were made once I was back home, trying to remember the sights, sounds, and smells of the prairie.