Custer State Park is scenic and unspoiled wilderness.  This is a view of an early summer day in the park.  The sky was clear and bright overhead.  However, as often occurs in June, a large thunderstorm was building and looming over the far hill.  Large herds of bison roam freely in the park.  In the scene, the leading edge of the bison herd had just crossed the crest of the near hill. 

I deeply admire the clarity of statement that western artist, Maynard Dixon, achieved in his paintings of his beloved West.  For this painting, I struck out to accomplish the same.  I focused on several primary objectives.  First, I limited the number of shapes depicted overall to those essential to the statement, bison, cloud formation, pine tree, and hills.  Next, I wanted to strengthen the impact of the selected objects by depicting them with minimal brush strokes.  I felt that capturing only their basic form would serve to heighten their impact.  Lastly, I composed the painting with an eye towards communicating the essence of Custer State Park.  The composition emphasized the lay of the land, the size and strength of the bison, and the threatening presence of the thundercloud.