Abstract expressionist painter Neltje finds home and inspiration in Wyoming’s scenery
October 10, 2024
Abstract expressionist painter Neltje finds home and inspiration in Wyoming's scenery
A Museum Minute
By Olivia Weitz
Wyoming Public Media
October 10, 2024
A 1-minute audio snapshot highlighting a museum object from the collection of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
New York City-born Neltje Doubleday Kings moved to Wyoming in the mid 1960s. She set up her artist studio in Banner where she produced many abstract expressionist paintings, a style with sweeping brush strokes popularized by artists like Jackson Pollock.
Whitney Western Art Museum Assistant Curator Ashlea Espinal said the museum acquired her painting My Heart Tumbles in 2022.
“Even though you can’t necessarily see an exact landscape or a mountain form or something like that, when you look at it, it feels like Wyoming. It feels like you’re standing on the prairie during a windy day,” Espinal said
Neltje has previously talked about how the Wyoming scenery served as a constant source of inspiration.
“I came to Wyoming and I found home, and I am a Wyoming artist,” Neltje said.
“Yes, my art is sophisticated. It is not wildlife. It is not a landscape that can be read as a landscape in the terms of photographic vision. But my passion is Wyoming. I will live nowhere else. I come down on the plain and my heart goes, ‘Ah, I’m home.’ All these works are drawn from nature and my love of nature, and that’s nature with a capital N. It’s the wide open spaces. It’s the air we breathe.”
Neltje’s painting My Heart Tumbles is currently on display at the Whitney Western Art Museum in Cody. The museum also has two of her prints.
Written By
Olivia Weitz
Olivia Weitz is a Multimedia Journalist for Wyoming Public Radio. She works out of a recording studio inside the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. She covers Yellowstone National Park, wildlife, and arts and culture throughout the region. She produces the “Museum Minute” series, which features objects from the Center of the West’s collections.
You May Also Like
The Draper Museum documents pinyon jays in Wyoming
May 05, 2025
The Draper Museum documents pinyon jays in Wyoming A Museum...
The northern flicker in the Draper Museum is a unique member of the woodpecker family
Apr 28, 2025
The norther flicker in the Draper Museum is a unique...
Brushstrokes of a Nation: Golden Gate, Yellowstone
Jun 30, 2025
Thomas Moran's "Golden Gate, Yellowstone National Park," 1893. 4.75...
Museum Minute: A cradleboard tells the story of a flower and a Blackfeet legend
May 14, 2025
Museum Minute: A cradleboard tells the story of a flower...
There’s a pocket gopher in the Draper’s research collection
Mar 06, 2025
There’s a pocket gopher in the Draper Museum’s research collection...
A bird trainer shares a story about a raven
Jan 22, 2025
A bird trainer shares a story about a raven A...
Draper museum puts bones back together to share about Yellowstone-area wildlife
Feb 06, 2025
Draper museum puts bones back together to share about Yellowstone-area...
Museum Minute: Beaded bag is ‘both art and utility’
May 15, 2025
Museum Minute: Beaded bag is 'both art and utility' A...
Museum Minute: Elk Teeth on a Crow Dress Displays Importance of Children
Jun 12, 2025
Listen: Elk teeth are sewn onto a child's wool dress....
Museum Minute: Beadwork on a Horse Mask Shows Bond Between Blackfeet Owner and Animal
Jun 12, 2025
Museum Minute: Beadwork on a Horse Mask Shows Bond Between...
Ice patch exhibit shares objects from the past
Feb 12, 2025
Draper museum ice patch exhibit shares objects from the past...