Finding the Art Spirit

Painted by Karrie Steely, Hendley, Nebraska

September, 2024

Located on the west wall of the First Presbyterian Church, 819 E Street

Project Background

This project was funded by the Cozad Tourism Committee with collaboration of First Presbyterian Church Cozad, Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery, and the Haymaker Creative District.

Karrie spent time in Cozad, exploring the landscape where Robert Henry Cozad (Robert Henri) spent part of his childhood.  She studied his journals to gain a better understanding of his early life.  "Finding the Art Spirit" mural combines her findings into a visual story with a nod to Henri's book, The Art Spirit.  Want to learn more?  Purchase your copy of The Art Spirit in the Robert Henri Art Gallery.

Easter Eggs

Artist, Karrie Steely, explains a special component of the mural, the placement of "Easter Eggs".

"An easter egg is a message, image, or hidden feature. The easter eggs that I’ve added to the mural relate directly to Henri’s boyhood diary of 1880 (he was 15 years old). I read through it a couple of times, paying close attention to the little details of his everyday life."

Visit Karrie's blog to learn more about her process at ksteely.com

Storm Coming

I chose to use a big looming storm contrasting with a clear, quiet area of blue sky as a metaphor.

Stormy skies are wonderful symbols of change, oftentimes looming and ominous. Set against the peaceful foreground of grazing cows and the meandering Platte River, this impending storm signifies the catastrophic changes that were soon to sweep up the Cozad family and bring an end to Robert’s idyllic youthful time in Nebraska.

Living here in southcentral Nebraska, It isn’t hard to find inspiration for painting skies. During the stormy summer season, all I have to do is step out my back door, as in the photo above. The immensity of the sky and its dramatic moods leave me awestruck on a regular basis.

I created a sense of depth and atmosphere in the storm, with its billowy soft top hovering over ominous darker clouds, and rollers heralding the curtains of rain falling below.

The Cattle Conflict

The mural is a snapshot of the life of ‘Bobby Cozad' (later known as Robert Henri) during the time that he lived in Nebraska.

I decided to add grazing cows to the mural because of the importance of the conflict that caused the Cozad family to leave Nebraska. Cattlemen were used to moving their vast herds of cattle across the plains, and when land was homesteaded and settled by farmers disputes erupted. Cowboys drove cattle across the claimed land and sometimes cut fences down. The tension between John Cozad and the cattlemen culminated in Cozad shooting and killing one of them. He and his family fled, changing their names, identities, and ultimately their futures.

The following are a few passages about a confrontation a few years before the fateful incident, from young Robert Cozad’s 1880 diary when he was 15 years old.

September 20, 1880

“When pa rode up he told the man that these cattle must be drove off. the man acted impudent and then the Boss Herder rode up and pa told him that he must move off immediately. the boss said that he was going to do so but showed no signs of doing it. Pa then commenced divin the cattle himself”

“After the herders had prevented the cattle from making a stampede, the 1st herder came toward us as we thought to make a fuss. He rode up by us and said something—in a serly [sic] manner—about his bosses being a gentlemen, and then commenced in a bullying talk. Pa told him that he wanted nothing to say to him, but if his boss had anything to say let him come on and say it. The man grumbled and muttered, and acted very bad.”

Rattlesnake Tail 

“When I came home Lewis Owens presented me with a rattle snake’s rattles. The button had not been taken off the snake, so the rattles were not complete. The age I think was about 9½ years old.”

(I assumed that the common rattlesnakes in Cozad at the time were Prairie Rattlers, so that is what I painted.)

A Mink with a Fish 

Young Bobby Cozad spent a lot of time fishing on the Platte River. In the diary, he refers to the way that he would put a fishing pole out in the evening with many hooks on the line. He would often find several fish on the line the next day, but sometimes opportunists would take advantage of this technique.

“John R. and I fished a little at night, but we had a nice little mess stolen from us by a mink.”

(I chose to put this image in the mural because mink are delightfully cute and mischievous, and I think it adds a lot of personality.)

Gooseberries 

He refers to ‘gooseberries’ a few times in the diary, most likely the native currants that grow in abundance in Nebraska.

“During the day Johnnie went out to buffalo creek goose-berry hunting. He brought about a peck of green ones home. John Robert and I went for them.”

 “Yesterday fore noon Johnnie, John Robert, and I went over onto an island in the river after straw berries. We did not find any, but we did find quite a patch of gooseberries. We brought home about 6 quarts, and ate quite a lot. We got lots of ripe ones.” 

 (We have these on our farm, and foraging for wild berries is one of my favorite pass-times. They often don’t make it into the kitchen because they’re so delicious, but I use them to make a variety of things from kombucha to drying and using them like raisins.)

Poison Ivy 

Poison ivy is mentioned many times. He often gets into it while fishing or swimming by the river, and sometimes while working.

“During the day I found out that I had got poised again over on the island the other day. “

“I have found out that when Wild Iva poision does get a start, it keeps a person in constant torture. It makes a person want to scratch and when he does scratch it eaches [sic] and stings all the more, besides scratching makes it worse.”

(I harvested a little bit from a patch on our farm so that I could use it as a reference in the painting. I used rubber gloves and a plastic bag and tried to be very careful. My bravery paid off, as I managed to escape unscathed.)

Young Robert

The figure in the mural is Bobby Cozad, right before he became Robert Henri.  In real life, at the age of eighteen, he didn't know what his future held.  But in this portrait he does.  He is painting a river, which is a symbol of life - in this case, the unknown waters of the life that lay ahead of him.  He is turned towards his work but for a moment glances out at the viewer.  With a knowing glint in his eye and the shadow of a smile, he shares something with you and I.  He leans casually on the frame of the picture, as though he is aware of his two dimensional space on the wall but that he is not a captive of it.   He could come out and join us if he wanted to.  Indeed, he has. 

The legacy of this museum and his artwork in this gallery are testaments to the fact that he is still here, present through the Art Spirit.