Marlene  Coon:  " Prairie  Paintings" Exhibit

“Prairie Paintings” from Marlene Coon of Groton  showed her unique paintings of landscapes and wildlife, many featuring buffalo.

Marlene Coon, a native of Groton, lived in Rapid City for 33 years where she divided her time between career and raising four children. Several years ago, her mother became ill so Marlene and her husband returned to the Groton farmhouse in which Marlene was raised to care for her. After her mother passed away, Marlene was ready for something new and exciting to do. She had been an avid quilter and sewer over the years, and had always loved and collected buffalo. Her first painting was done with a basting brush on denim from an old pair of jeans. She still uses gesso to prime denim into a canvas-like surface to keep her cost at a minimum and to use recycled material to make her art. Her frames, which many admirers find the most intriguing, are recycled sticks, pieces of bark, pine cones, raffia, feathers and a collection of found objects.

Marlene’s paintings, which are acrylic, have expanded from a single animal portrait, to more complex landscapes and scenes with various elements and groups of animals and, of course, her signature subject, the buffalo. This unique exhibit  appeals to anyone who enjoys art and the expression of the