Artist Reception for Dean States Held Friday

On March 1, The Brinton Museum in Big Horn held a reception for Dean States, artist in their current exhibition, One Person’s Vision: The Art of Dean States. The exhibit features 45 colored pencil drawings ranging from works created earlier in the artist’s career to pieces recently finished in the studio.

Sheridan artist Dean States is a graduate of Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He is a master artisan of the colored pencil medium.

His exhibit included detailed, soft-colored drawings of landscapes and wildlife as well as rather unexpectedly, vividly colored kimonos and cubistic portraits.

Sometimes, like in the drawing, “Rabbit Dreams” he mixes the realistic rendering of the rabbit with the abstract and colorful dreams with hidden images worked in. He talked about where he gets is ideas.

Although not new to The Brinton Museum, States had this to say about this show

States’ artwork on display ranged from small pieces to 4’ by 8’ size pictures that required an entire gallery wall, and States said that someday he would like to do a larger work.

He said the large ones can take up to a year, some have taken up to three years. “As an artist, time is nebulous,” States said.

States has been doing artwork for around 60 years, and said he has,

He added that 99% of what he does now is in colored pencil.

States has exhibited in many museums, but he said The Brinton had special meaning for him.

The S. K. Johnston, Jr. Family Gallery was crowded for the reception, and the exhibit continues through May 12.

The exhibition is offered free and open to the public through the generosity of Ramaco Carbon, LLC who is sponsoring the museum’s general admission for the second consecutive year.