Brother and sister duo Kathleen Lohr and Rick Rasmussen present a unique view of Central Nebraska through portraiture and picture in Plain Views: Pastel and Photography. Based on the homestead photographs of Solomon Butcher, Lohr’s portraits of women and children seek to portray the stark existence of early Nebraska settlers as well as reveal the deep-rooted character traits that allowed them to persevere under such harsh conditions. The stories of these Nebraska settlers are echoed in the enduring novels of Willa Cather. Cather observed in O Pioneers!, “We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it—for a little while.” By using the names of Cather’s characters as the titles of her paintings, the unnamed faces of Butcher’s photographs are remembered anew. Through his nature and wildlife photography, Rasmussen captures the spirit of Central Nebraska that these settlers once called home.

View the digital gallery here!

About the Artists

Kathleen Lohr and Rick Rasmussen grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska, alongside the Platte River and beneath the shadows of the migrating Sandhill Cranes. It is from these perspectives that they draw inspiration for their painting and photography.

Kathleen Lohr is an award-winning painter whose work can be found at Studio K in Grand Island, the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, and a number of private collections. She expresses her passion for art in both the studio and the classroom. Lohr taught studio art at Central Community College for 19 years and presently teaches art history at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. She has served on the board of directors of the Bone Creek Agrarian Museum in David City and previously served as the manager of the Columbus Art Gallery.  Lohr received her BA from the University of Northern Colorado and her MA in art education from the University of Nebraska. She currently lives in Columbus with her husband John and their dog Rhys.

Rick Rasmussen is an internationally acclaimed wildlife photographer who has been photographing what he sees in nature for over 40 years. A recipient of numerous awards, including two international awards in Nature's Best Magazine, Rasmussen's work has been published in NEBRASKAland Magazine, Nebraska Life Magazine, Wyoming Wildlife Magazine, and Ducks Unlimited Magazine. Rasmussen has traveled to Alaska, South America, Antarctica, Iceland, Norway, and throughout the United States, but his favorite place to photograph is Central Nebraska where he lives on an acreage along the Platte River Valley with his wife Lori and their two dogs Red And Genie.