A Colorado artist whose desire to show his creations in his hometown of Norfolk has proven to be a “perfect fit” for local art lovers.
Ron Nordyke, who grew up in Norfolk but now lives in Colorado, has his art on display in a show called “Made by Hand” at the Norfolk Arts Center through Thursday, February 29. The exhibition was the result of perfect timing.
Nordyke, who has always wanted his art to be displayed at the art center, had spoken to art center representatives some time ago to say it would be open for an exhibit, but was told it would take several months. Later he called the art center again and said he was coming and could bring samples.
“He came in and asked, ‘Hey, what’s the submission process?'” said Nathan Terry, program director at the arts center. “And then we told him we need to have some of your images and some of your art to present to the visual arts committee.”
Fortunately for Nordyke, the timing was perfect, as another artist who had an art show scheduled was canceled.
“We lined it up and then it became a show. And we really had that exact slot available on our calendar,” Terry said. “Usually we wait another year, so that’s pretty good. But I had no problem presenting it to the committee because I knew they would enjoy his art as much as I did. And I had seen almost none of it, again I think he had picked up maybe seven pieces. And I was able to take those images and turn them into this show.
Terry, as program director, brings the paintings to the visual arts committee and the committee then decides if they are appropriate for the arts center.
“His art spoke for itself when I presented it to the visual arts committee,” Terry said. “As you can see and obviously, he was the perfect choice for the Norfolk Arts Centre. To a large extent, our vision and our mission here have been fulfilled by Ron coming here.”
This is impressive as it can be difficult to get selected to have an art show. Terry said he denies people who keep asking about art shows and said it’s one of the hardest parts of his job.
“You can’t just call and say, ‘Hey, I want to put stuff in your gallery,'” Nordyke said. “They look at it and appreciate it. And then they’ll either say, “Well, we’re interested or we’re not.” A lot of times it takes months (to line up) to do it. I was really happy to get it.”
The Norfolk native said he paints what he likes. This is evident from the 53 paintings in the exhibition, which fill all the walls in the art center’s exhibition hall.
“To me, if you look around the room, it tells you about me,” Nordyke said. “I like people. I like color. I like quilts. I like birds and wild animals and I like children. And so it’s actually quite biographical because I paint what I like.”
His interest in what he paints – quilts in particular – is where he came up with the name of his art show: “Made by Hand”.
Nordyke has always had a love for art. He became a drawing teacher in 1998 and began teaching. He has an art degree, but he never actually taught art in a public school because he didn’t have a teaching certificate.
“When I started teaching, I said I’d better practice. So I started in earnest around 1998 and there were about 25 years where I didn’t paint after I graduated college and then I had a shop for about 20 years, that was kind of my artistic outlet for quite a few years,” Nordyke said. “But I always wanted to have an art show in Norfolk because a lot of the people would know me and I would know them.
“It’s personal. When I was a kid, I worked at Putters Jewelry. My dad worked at Putters Jewelry so I worked there. And then I have so many friends who are there and relatives.
Nordyke said he shows a lot of his art in western Nebraska at various galleries. Otherwise it’s in his basement.
“I mean, you don’t paint it to put it in your basement, you just leave it painted for people to see and things like that,” Nordyke said.
Terry said Nordyke was the inspiration and that he put up the display himself.
“Normally I would have prepared something like this, but he had his own hand on it, putting those pieces where they are on all of them,” Terry said. “So it’s really all his vision. He has these poems about his son, I’m here in the middle, and all the little descriptions add little personal details that let you enjoy the art a little more.”
As Terry has seen many paintings throughout his career, he considers Nordyke to be a pretty good artist.
“I have been to many museums and art galleries. I think he was very representative of what we have here in Nebraska,” Terry said. “Capable artists that anyone, anywhere could identify with. For example, this sacrifice (picture) where they give out their flag at the funeral there, which can touch many Americans. And I think anyone, anywhere, would really feel that piece of America by looking at this piece of art.
“I think he wanted to show the family and members of the Norfolk community what he could do.”
His artwork is so appealing that people have expressed interest in purchasing his paintings. Terry said two people said they wanted to buy an entire series that Nordyke originally wanted to sell, but then changed his mind because it was too meaningful to him.
“I don’t think he was prepared for them to actually sell; I think it freaked him out a little bit,” Terry said. “He was more successful than he imagined he would be.
“I think he’s better than he knows, which is the mark of a great artist. Artists always don’t believe in themselves sometimes so much, they always strive to be better. And that’s a really important quality in an artist, and I think he has it.
The art show was a great success as many people came to tour the art show hall.
“Some people have come multiple times because it’s hard to take it all in on one trip because you can really enjoy this series and then start talking to your friends about this one,” Terry said. “A lot of younger people enjoy this art as well, so like I said, it really helps us fulfill our mission here at the arts center.”
