Watercolor 11x14

 "Blood Moon Exodus", was in the park, and since there had been a most beautiful full moon in Steelville those summer nights I was there, the bright Blood Moon made it into my painting. I tried to convey what it was like to walk in cold winter snows, night and day, to go where they were supposed to go. I read that they often wore the same kinds of clothes that pioneers did, so in the snow, their western dress often wasn't adequate to keep them warm. Walking sticks found along the trail may have helped them walk those many miles. I painted this one in the park, to the sounds of children playing and birdsong, so I didn't experience the same feelings I did when I painted the first one. It looks like an enjoyable walk in a beautiful snowy landscape; but maybe we can hope there were a few beautiful moments at times along this tragic trail.
Joyce Hartmann

Oil 11x14

Debbie Schaefer- “I painted this trying to visualize how they were forced away from the warmth of their own community and had to abandon the safety of home. Imagine how difficult it must have been to try and push your child into the cold and bitter weather when they were Ill or exhausted. The harsh landscape was even evident in the late summer as we painted . To have to endure a journey into the unknown must have been very frightening.”

Watercolor 10x12

Both paintings represent the hard ship to travel many days through all kinds of landscapes. The river’s could be running high and they would find a good crossing to continue their journey.

Watercolor 16x8

This paint was done thinking of the hardships of weather and terrain the people had to endure.
Jamie Green

"Far From Home", by Faith Bonacci, Watercolor 11x14

Feathers & Beads, by Janice Burkemper, Watercolor 11x14

Erlene Flowers

With the Clothes on Their Back

Acrylic 11x14

Watercolor 8x10
Patty Burmeister-
When I painted this, it was a sunny, beautiful, picturesque day in June, much like they may have had in June, 1838. The Indian Removal Act was put in full force for the Cherokee then. I thought of the irony that these beautiful souls had to face, such a brutal, ugly, and inhumane act on human beings, while walking on a trail that is full of beauty and brimming with life and vitality. I could imagine the innocence of the children, wanting to play along the river, while their parents and elders realized the brutal and inhumane injustice.

Gone but Not Forgotten, by Mike Phelps, Oil 9x12

‘Journey of Tears’, by Manuela Woolsey, Oil, 11x14

Oil 12x16

I love to paint almost any subject that is in front of me. Everything is fun to see and explore with a paint brush. The changing light and the different seasons are awe-inspiring. Painting outdoors involves the excitement of becoming fully attuned to my surroundings. I have always loved the outdoors, so when plein air painting and I met in 2000, it just seemed to go hand in hand with my outdoorsy nature. Painting in plein air is challenging, as the light quickly changes. I started painting with Missouri Plein Air Painters Association, MOPAPA, which further inspired me to paint outdoors. Painting is a personal journey into the discovery of how beautiful the natural world is.

Musings on the Trail of Tears, by Erlene Flowers, Pen & Ink (4 sketches) 11x14

Nights Rest Along the Trail of Tears, by Leigh Coffman, Oil, 11x14

Veronica Brown

Sorrow (Color)

16” Round

Veronica Brown

Sorrow (Sepia)

16” Round

Renee Hackmann, Oil 14x18 

When we were asked to paint at the park in Steelville where the “Trail of Tears” had passed through, I was attracted to the reflection of the trees on the water of a bog. As I painted, I could feel a melancholy energy. This young Native American girl is touching the water, reaching back to the painful journey of her people. Her spirit is guiding us to remember never to repeat such a tragic loss of human life and dignity.
Renee Hackman

Gin Lammert, Pastel 12x12

When I spotted this stream bed, I instantly thought of how it could've been a place for those walking on the Trail of Tears might stop and find renewed energy from the clear running water.

Joyce Hartmann- Watercolor 11x14

I was qite emotional as I painted it, because my husband Bob and I were sitting right on the trail, a lonely forgotten place full of weeds, birdson, and loud cicada rasping. I almost felt the hardships those native Americans suffered, and how many of them died en route, especially after Bob's exploratory walk turned up several gravestones with dates in the 1800s, of people who lived there later. There were spirits all around me. I was really sad as I painted this one, and depicted some of those spirits walking and looking down from the sky at their experiences.

T. Hudson- Acrylic 8x10 Day 4 of the Steelville Plein Air painting competition was all about painting on location at the “Trail of Tears” and remembering the tragic fate of so many Cherokee that suffered through the harsh winter believing there was a promise at the end of the trail*

Cynthia Schanink- watercolor 16 x 20

Both paintings represent the hard ship to travel many days through all kinds of landscapes. The river’s could be running high and they would find a good crossing to continue their journey.

Michael McClure - Acrylic 11x14

This painting mirrors the hardship of a forced journey away from home. As an artist i paint to express and share with others the endless beauty of the world. Michael McClure

Joe Patterson

Trail of Tears,  Joe Patterson#2

Acrylic 5x24

Leigh Coffman

Will this be Remembered

Oil 16 x 20

“Lonely Trail”
Watercolor by Larry Siwek