Visual Art League of Lewisville

In Depth : Works of Elaine Nienkamp

October 15th, 2004

There is an abundance of beauty and resources in the land of my beginnings. Lofty pine sing in the breeze as other trees rattle their leaves in concert with the frogs and crickets that lie tucked in hiding. This show came about in premise on my frequent visits to East Texas and the home land of my family. I currently have a home there and these visits always bring me close to my upbringing and thoughts of the spirit of this land. In reflection upon much of my previous work, I realized that the influence of my beginnings and this East Texas land has always been there.

The Connection
The women of my current work were connected not only by birth, but through the sanctity this land and its offerings; its creeks, its trees, its pastures, its fields, its shadows and dappled sunlight, its creatures that roamed throughout, and its rich earth.

Walking and touching the earth and barks of trees there today, I think, “I have touched and been touched the same as my mother and grandmother.”

Grandmother
Emmaline came to the land when she married Robert Ivy McCain. He was much older than she. They built a house upon the land, and she raised chickens, milked cows and cooked wonderful Sunday dinners. Mary Emmaline had 6 children and grieved over the death of the eldest at 21. She lived on the land until she was of the age she could no longer take care of it, then she moved into town

Mother
Mary Alice was born on the land. As a child she ran through the trees and explored the creeks, fields, and pastures. She discovered pots and arrowheads from long ago Indians that had dwelled there during their seasonal travels and shared growing-up experiences with her brothers and sisters. She lived on the land until setting out for college to become a teacher.

Elaine
Elaine grew up knowing the land on visits with her grandparents. She spent many hours running barefoot through the yellow bitter weeds, building forts in the trees, pitching washers under the large pecan tree and exploring all parts of it astride a horse. Today she owns part of the land and has a second home there.

Exhibits