“How did a Catahoula leopard dog wind up in this painting? I leave that to your imagination. My grandfather, Fred W. Farrar, is recognized as an important historical photographer of the Black Hills region during the early 20th century. My great grandmother, Ursula Cleaver, completed commissioned paintings for South Dakota’s first natural history museum. I honor my family’s artistic legacy with what I consider ‘contemporary impressionist’ paintings depicting scenes in the Black Hills today. Using bright colors and a thick application of paint showing the brushwork, I like to think I’m creating a historic work with my art.”