1 of 4
Courtesy Kellie Rae Theiss
Minnesota Below the Surface
Kellie Rae Theiss, shown with her painting of a pileated woodpecker, spends a good deal of time observing the animals near her lake home in northern Minnesota. Her show at Grand Rapids’ MacRostie Art Center will focus on fish like muskie, northerns and walleye, as well as frogs and turtles.
2 of 4
Courtesy Kellie Rae Theiss
Minnesota Below the Surface
3 of 4
Courtesy Kellie Rae Theiss
Minnesota Below the Surface
4 of 4
Courtesy Kellie Rae Theiss
Minnesota Below the Surface
Through the eyes of nature artist Kellie Rae Theiss, you might see details in egrets, owls and bluegills that you hadn’t noticed before.
Living on a northern Minnesota lake near Floodwood, she spends quite a lot of time studying birds, fish and other wildlife. “I’m pretty immersed in all my subjects,” she says.
Minnesota Below the Surface, an exhibit of her work, will be shown at MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids in May. “Muskie, northerns, walleye, crustacean, vegetation, turtles and more will be on exhibit for one month,” she says. “Twenty-five years of observation on nature’s design, colors and symmetry in countless hours of careful work. The theme is on the beauty and variety of what lives in our 10,000 lakes. It is amazing!”
Kellie Rae grew up on her family farm in Nebraska and was inspired by her grandmother, who painted landscapes and scenes of Native Americans in the Southwest.
“Is there a physical connection to the spiritual realm? Are we responsible to observe, appreciate and protect?” asks Kellie Rae. “ I hope that my work will reflect these questions, creating a stronger connection to nature and a sense for protecting it.”
Kellie Rae Theiss’s exhibit runs May 2-31 at MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids. 218-326-2697, macrostieartcenter.org.