Greetings From PK Lane Art Exhibit

Through the month of January, artist Carrie Edinger will be displaying her artwork at the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library. There will be an artist’s reception on Thursday, January 16th from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. All are welcome.

On display will be several drawings and prints she has created after several years of working on this artwork while observing the landscape and birdhouses along PK Lane.

She explained how the exhibit came to be. “On my first hike along PK Lane, an old Sheridan County Road to the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, I quickly noticed the weathered birdhouses placed on some of the rustic fence posts. With my interest in everyday transitions, the weathered wood of the birdhouses is what first drew my curiosity to sketch them along the roadside.

“In the 1890s, PK Lane was a route to the Bighorn Mountains then known as Soldier Creek Trail Road. The road still has its dirt two-track features that was first used for horse drawn supply wagons. This was a convenient way to get to the locations of the mines and other resources on the mountain. While hiking in this open space, it is interesting to think about who previously traveled this route and also enjoyed the broad view of the mountain range.

“For my beginning observations, I utilized various fieldwork to document the weathered birdhouses and the surrounding landscape. I took many seasonal visits to PK Lane to capture my observations with sketching, still photography and documenting the views of the mountains from many of the birdhouse locations.

“Since the Elk Fire that started in the fall of 2024, there have been great changes in the landscape neighboring PK Lane. I was able to visit PK Lane in mid-November when the area reopened to the public. To be expected, the fire altered all three years of my documentation of the landscape and the birdhouses. I will admit my very recent visits to PK Lane have distracted me in my thought process while finalizing this exhibit. In organizing my exhibit, it seemed relevant to include some of my photos from my November hikes from these recent changes and display them next to similar represented sites in my drawings and prints.”

Observing transitions of objects, which is the bird houses and their surrounding environment has been a component in the three-year process of fieldwork. The culmination of this body of work comes from considering my observations and research of the surrounding landscape, details and the disappearance of individual birdhouses, as well as considering the birdhouses viewpoint along PK Lane.

Artwork courtesy of Edinger.