Gregory Summers, "Frivolities of Summers"

A new exhibit on display at the Red Cloud Opera House takes onlookers on a road trip across the United States to view the land between rest stops across America. The subjects range from sites on both coasts to the beautiful patches of land that fall between. This plein air art exhibit by R Gregory Summers depicts a full range of emotions as you gaze upon the artistic interpretations of the sites. The public is invited attend an artist’s reception on March 4, from 5:00 -6:30 p.m. prior to the Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s performance of The Lady With All The Answers at 7:00 p.m.

Gregory Summers painted live at numberous locations to prepare works for this exhibit. The show also includes a small selection of paintings depicting the Cather historic sites in Webster County and some of his award-winning works from 2014 and 2015. Summers states, “I am inspired by creation and driven by the experience. My goal is not to replicate the scene before me, but to bring back a piece of what took me there in the first place.”

Gregory Summers was born in the Flint Hills of Kansas. He served in the USAF at the end of the Vietnam War, and later studied art at Johnson County Community College on the GI Bill. Summers studied painting under Professor Jean Howard. His professional career as an artist began in 1979 at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri, where he learned the art of sculpting in metal and continued as a Master Engraver for the next 30 years. Summers assisted in forming the Missouri Valley Impressionist Society with Jeff Sparks, Brent Seevers, and Rachel Mindrup. Summers currently lives in Overland Park, KS, and visits his family in Blue Hill, NE, frequently.