Behm, Wes & Wilma

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Wes and Wilma Behm have been long-time supporters of the Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce, and we are proud to have them!

ARTIST STATEMENT WILMA E. BEHM
Art has always been a part of my life. While attending District 81, a small one-room school in Nebraska, I was fortunate to have a teacher who was also an artist. She taught me to paint with watercolors and encouraged work with clay. I won a blue ribbon at the Morrill County Fair for a small watercolor; and I have the lop-sided elephant created in second grade. My brother and I always had art materials available to us. Our mother, who was artistic, encouraged us to be creative.

After graduation from High School in Alliance, Nebraska, I moved to Minnesota where I attended college obtaining the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic. I owned and operated a solo practice in Prior Lake Minnesota from 1970 until 2000. During this time, my husband and I raised our two daughters and saw them become independent young adults.

In the 1980s and 1990s, I worked with two local Art Councils. At that time I was involved with soft pastels and pencil drawings. My exhibits were limited to local art shows and the County Fair.

In 2000 we and moved to the Black Hills of South Dakota. I began oil painting in 2001. I enjoy painting landscapes and animals. I also enjoy the challenge of moving from an idea to the completed work. I paint almost every day of the week and have seen a steady improvement in my ability to handle color and light. My ongoing challenge is to realistically depict the rolling Sandhills of Western Nebraska.

Currently, I am collaborating with other artists to get the new "Heart of the Hills" Artist Guild up and running. I am also trying my hand at sculpting. My first sculpture is of my daughter's Boston Terrier, it is still in the clay! I will let you know how it turns out!

Currently I have art at Carnegie Art Center in Alliance, Nebraska. Six oil paintings are included in Carnegie's annual Western Art exhibit from May 15 through July 8th.

Several of my oil paintings of birds are on display at 4D Rush Lake Reserve in the Sandhills of Garden County, Nebraska. 4D Rush Lake Reserve is located in the heart of the sandhills, has been designated by the Audubon Society as an important birding area.

4dreserve.com for additional information