Art Exhibition Celebrates the Stunning Prairies of Illinois

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND

Prairies are a special part of our natural world, and they’re sometimes overlooked amidst the forests and Great Lakes of the Midwest. But a walk in a prairie is a wonderful thing in any season. The wildflowers, grasses, and wild creatures of our Illinois prairies, woodlands, and other natural areas are a free prescription for the stresses of the modern world.  

Artist and conservationist Philip Juras celebrates our Illinois prairies in his exhibition, The Long View: Prairie Paintings from Illinois Nature Preserves, which features more than 40 paintings from 23 Illinois Nature Preserves across the Prairie State.  Some of the natural areas that are featured include Nachusa Grasslands, Lockport Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Goose Lake Prairie, and Pembroke Savanna. Illinois Nature Preserves protect the highest quality natural lands in the state. “These lands are the last remnants of the Illinois wilderness,” according to the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.

The exhibition is ongoing through October 21, 2023, at the Illinois State Museum-Lockport Gallery (201 West 10th Street, Lockport, IL 60441, 815/838-7400), which is open from Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Juras was kind enough to talk with me about his work and the exhibition. (Note: Work titles and locations for paintings that appear in this story are listed at the end of the article.)

Q. Looking back at your life, what made you interested in creating nature-focused art?

A. Although I grew up in the suburbs of Augusta, Georgia, my family did a lot of camping and hiking, so as a child I came to love natural settings, learning native plants and natural history—interests fostered by my mother. The creating part may have been partly innate and partly inspired by the classical art I saw in books and museums. It all came together later in life as I began working full time as an artist.

Q. What’s your process for creating a work of art? Where do you paint? En plein air? Indoors? Or both?

A. My process really starts with researching the subject I’m interested in. For instance, my landscape architecture thesis in graduate school examined pre-European grasslands in the Southeast, and I’m still exploring that topic in oil on canvas. After I select a specific subject, such as tallgrass prairie remnants in Illinois, I try to get to know experts who can connect me with the best existing landscapes, and with historical writing and documentation that can inform an image of the subject in my mind’s eye. Next, I’ll travel to chosen sites, often arriving before sunrise and sometimes leaving after sunset, taking that time to get to know the place, take lots of photographs, and do some painting in situ. I usually complete smaller studies on site, but sometimes begin works that I’ll later finish in the studio. Most of my larger sized paintings are based on photos and created entirely in the studio. A few are created from imagination, based on my research.

Q. Can you tell my readers about your exhibition The Long View: Prairie Paintings from Illinois Nature Preserves?

A. I’d like to direct you to my artist’s statement here to answer that fully but in short, as I’ve visited the Prairie State over the last 10 years exploring its grasslands, I’ve found the Illinois Nature Preserve System to be a gold mine for someone who wants to understand the structure, patterns, colors, and importance of an ecosystem that defined the experience of people living in much of North America for thousands of years. Interestingly, those same people defined the ecosystem in return, primarily by their use of fire, or later, fire suppression (prairie fire is addressed in the exhibit). The remnants are incredibly rare (there’s only .01 percent of the original prairie remaining in Illinois) and if it weren’t for the visionaries in Illinois that created the Nature Preserve System 60 years ago, these tiny refugia would be largely gone today. That’s worth celebrating. If you’re an Illinoisan, it’s something to be proud of, and something to plan some nature travel around—especially if you’re a landscape painter.

Q. Other than the ones spotlighted as part of your exhibit, what are a few of your favorite nature destinations in the area, and why?

A. It’s hard to pick favorites, but when I’m not in Illinois I find I often miss Nachusa Grasslands. I spent a lot of time painting the prairies and woods there, listening to the bobwhites, meadowlarks, and coyotes as I worked, and watching the bison drift across the landscape, often in and out of whatever composition I was working on. Perhaps because one can look across a thousand acres of high-quality prairie there, it may be the best place to reconnect with the ecosystem—and to learn how people are essential in maintaining it. Much of Nachusa Grasslands is dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve and it plays a prominent role in my current exhibit. Somme Prairie Grove, also in my exhibit, is a Northbrook location that I have fallen in love with. It, and neighboring Somme Prairie, both extensively restored, have gorgeous prairie flora. Go early and be prepared to be soaked by dew-laden grasses. A place I like that’s not in my current exhibit, nor is it a Nature Preserve, is the Burnham Wildlife Corridor along the lakefront in Chicago. It’s wonderful to bike or hike along and enjoy the prairie plantings or try to identify numerous migratory birds. I’ve done a couple of field paintings there with prairie in the foreground and glimpses of the city on the horizon.

Q. Other than the exhibit, where can people view your art? If someone is interested in purchasing your art or books, how can they do so?

A. Besides the current exhibit in Lockport ending October 21, I have occasional exhibits in various locations that I announce online, but the easiest way to see my work is on my website, where I list every painting along with background information about the subjects. My book Picturing the Prairie can be purchased online from the Illinois State Museum gift shop or in person from The Book Stall in Winnetka. My other books can be found on Amazon. Regarding the purchase of paintings, available works can be seen on my website, and I welcome emails with inquiries to philip@philipjuras.com.

Copyright (text/photos, except my opening text) Philip Juras

Photo of Philip Juras at work at Somme Prairie Grove, courtesy of Robin Carlson

Photo Titles/Locations:

3-Photo Header (clockwise from bottom left of image): Photo of Philip Juras at work at Somme Prairie Grove, courtesy of Robin Carlson; “December Effects,” Nachusa Grasslands; “August Flora,” Loda Cemetery Prairie

Main Article: “Sunrise,” Nachusa Grasslands; “December Effects,” Nachusa Grasslands; “August Flora,” Loda Cemetery Prairie; “Nachusa Bison, June.” Nachusa Grasslands; “Fults Hill Prairie,” Monroe County, Illinois; “Munson Township Cemetery Prairie,” Henry County, Illinois

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Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $18.99.

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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES

I have been a writer and editor for more than 25 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the editorial director of the CAM Report career newsletter and College Spotlight newsletter; the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I’m also a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school. 

In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 40 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).