Painting Missouri Billyo O'Donnell
Opening Reception and Book Signing

Saturday, February 6, 2010 6-8 p.m.

Exhibit runs from February 6-28, 2010

Painting Missouri is the journey of Billyo O'Donnell painting on location, for seven years, original oil paintings of the 114 counties of Missouri and the city of St. Louis. During this time, he faced almost every weather element imaginable from sub-zero temperatures in Holt County to humid and 100-degree heat in other counties. Non of these prevented Billyo from forging ahead with his mission to paint Missouri

This vast collection of Midwestern impressions reflects an artist's expedition across his home state that reveals a story with every painting. He describes the project as "a 200-year anniversary 're-look' of Missouri since Lewis and Clark" and feels it connects both to Missourians and non-Missourians and related to them in many ways.

At his last exhibit at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum, Billyo O'Donnell was currently involved in 'Painting Missouri'.

Now, the journey has ended and we will feature 115 original oil paintings.

Author, Karen Glines, is an award-winning journalist who lives in Des Peres, Missouri. She has taught communication classes to college students, served as a mentor to journalism students, and is past-president of the National Federation of Press Women-Missouri Affiliate.

The book Painting Missouri - The Counties on Plein Air, is an extraordinarily rich collection of scenes and seasons along the highways and byways of the Show Me State. Turn the pages to find scenes both familiar and intimate; farmhouses and barnes, Lover's Leap in hannibal and the view of St. Louis from the roof of the Cathedral Basilica.

Accompanying the paintings are essays by Karen Glines, who provides essential historical information about the counties, from interesting facts about their founding's and names to the stories behind their courthouses.

Billyo O'Donnell & Karen Glines