Jennifer Matthews | Artist's Studio
Original Oil Paintings / Giclee Fine Art Prints
During their exposition 200 years ago, Lewis and Clark witnessed and documented many things on their journey. Their journals detail many different species of animals and plants they encountered during their trip. It is these accounts that have inspired this series of painting. With each painting, I have included the quote from the journals of Lewis & Clark that inspired the painting.
"Great Horned Owl" |
"one of the party killed a large hooting owl; I observed no difference between this bird and those of the same family common to the U.'States, except that this appeared to be more booted and more thickly clad with feathers." -Merriwether Lewis |
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| April 14th 1805 | |
"Western Meadowlark" |
" ...there is a kind of larke here that much resembles the bird called the old field lark with a yellow brest and a black spot on the croop; tho' this differs from ours in the form of the tail which is pointed being formed of feathers of unequal length; the beak is somewhat longer and more curved and the note differs considerably; however in size, action, and colours there is no perceptable difference; or at least none that strikes my eye. " -Merriwether Lewis |
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| Saturday June 22nd. 1805 | |
"Portrait of an Elk Bull" |
"If the single quill of cloud in the sky decided to come back to earth it would find no place to land. On both sides of the river buffalo, antelope, and elk crowd together, watching us work our way upstream. " From the Journals of Lewis and Clark |
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| May, 1805 | |
"Robin on a Mountain Ash" |
"Saw the first robin." --William Clark |
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In Remarks and Reflections for April 22, 1805 (Coues, page 1288) the following is recorded: |
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" Mother and Fawn" |
"...The Countrey on each Side of the river is fine interspersed with Praries, in which imence herds of Deer is Seen, on the banks of the river we observe numbers of Deer watering and feeding on the young willow, Several Killed to day." --William Clark |
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"Goldfinch and Honeysuckle" |
"The river bottoms affording all the timber which is to be seen in the country they are filled with innumerable little birds that resort thither either for shelter or to build their nests. When sun began to shine today these birds appeared to be very gay and sung most inchantingly; I observed among them the ... linnit goaldfinch, .... Some of the inhabitants of the praries also take reffuge in these woods at night or from a storm. " --Merriwether Lewis |
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| Saturday June 8th. 1805 | |
All Rights Reserved, © J. Matthews 2005