Blank Canvas Artist
Bickey Bender
15341 Cranberry Drive, Park Rapids, MN 56470-2651
Phone: (218) 732-8679
Cell: (218) 616-0477
Email: bybickey@gmail.com
Website: https://www.blankcanvasgallery.com
My work reflects my fascination with the simple pleasures of everyday life. A bird, an old building, a texture — all conjure for me the joy inherent in the basic things of our world. And while exotic locales may appear in my canvases from time to time, it’s the richness of my modest childhood in rural North Dakota that ultimately informs my work.
I grew up in Medberry, North Dakota, the youngest of five children in a town of 20 people. Our three-bedroom house, the property of my father’s employer, Cargill Grain Company, had no running water, no indoor bathroom and no electricity until I turned 10.
We were not materially rich but I never felt want. Our lives were filled with the bounty of the natural world -- the immense sky, heat lightening on a summer evening, the northern lights, talking crows and inquisitive goats. We entertained ourselves with creative play, singing, crafts and practical jokes. When I was five years old I distinctly remember my brother Wayne seating me in the front seat of my parent’s Chevy while he sat in the back, foot on the gas, while I was at the wheel. My mom just about had a heart-attack when she saw us drive by.
Today I live on a lake outside Park Rapids, Minnesota. In my studio I work with handmade paper, watercolor and acrylics. I integrate leaves, bark, feathers and other natural objects into my pieces.
EDUCATION:
BS Degree in Art Education form the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks, ND. Additional studies at NDSU, Fargo, ND and Moorhead State University, Moorhead, MN. Various workshops from 1975 to 2020.
EXPERIENCE:
Taught art in Bismarck, ND and in the Fargo Public and Catholic Elementary Schools in Fargo, ND.
Member of Gallery 4 in Fargo, ND for 21 years. One of the founders of the Blank Canvas Gallery, Park Rapids, MN for 5 years.
Artist-In-Residence for ND for 5 years which included children through
adults as well as workshops for teachers.
AWARDS;
Numerous awards from participating in Art Shows in ND and MN.
MEMBERSHIPS:
Heartland Arts Council – Classic Chorale, Blank Canvas gallery Online,
Red River Watercolor Society, Fargo, ND. Member of Studio 176 Gallery,
Park Rapids, MN
07/01/2023 - Studio 176
Location: 176 Third St. West, Park Rapids, MN 56470
Website: https://www.studio176.art
General Info:
04/10/2024 - Art Leap
Location: 15341 Cranberry Drive, Park Rapids, MN
Website: Heartland Arts
General Info:
05/11/2024 - Studio 176
Location: 176 Third St. West, Park Rapids, MN 56470
Website: https://www.studio176.art
General Info:
09/28/2024 - Art Leap
Location: 15341 Cranberry Drive, Park Rapids, MN 56470
Website: blankcanvasgallery.com
General Info: