Oklahoma Artists Honored at State Capitol

The works of Jessie Ghere Feather, Wallace Owens, Jr., and John David Rule featured as part of the Oklahoma Art Council’s Capitol Exhibitions program.

September 21, 2023

Oklahoma art enthusiasts were treated to a final showing of the works of three of the state’s most talented artists during a closing reception for the current round of exhibitions on display in the rotating galleries of the Oklahoma State Capitol on September 21, 2023.

Jessie Ghere Feather’s exhibition, Generations, had been featured in the North Gallery since May, and Wallace Owens, Jr.’s exhibition, La Vida, had been featured in the East Gallery since May. John David Rule’s exhibition, Rising Westward, had been featured in the Governor’s Gallery, also since May.

The exhibitions are part of an Oklahoma Arts Council program that supports the work of professional Oklahoma artists by showcasing their work in the Oklahoma State Capitol. The exhibitions illustrate the excellent and diverse artistic talent of the people of Oklahoma while promoting public interest and understanding of the arts. Exhibitions in the North, East and Governor’s galleries rotate periodically and are viewed by thousands of people from around the world who work in and tour the historic building.

The galleries now make way for new artists and new work, but not before the trio proudly showed off their wares one final time, greeting patrons and talking to folks from the Oklahoma arts community. Keep reading to get to know these outstanding artists. Biographies are courtesy of Oklahoma Arts Council.‍

‍Wallace Owens, Jr.

Wallace Owens, Jr. is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker. Born and raised in Muskogee, Owens now calls Guthrie home. Using materials as varied as his subjects, he depicts abstract and representational landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, flora, and fauna. Oil and acrylic paint, wood, metal, and bronze are among his materials of choice.

Art is integral to Owens’ entire existence; he says, “I just fell in love with art because it was me.” An avid traveler, his paintings are adventurous and lively. From the buzzing of a bee in flight to the warmth of strong sunlight on city buildings in Mexico, his art is full of energy. Owens’ vibrant, abstract paintings often accentuate the feeling of form rather than the form itself. One work on view, Spanish Guitar, is done in a Cubist style; intersecting geometric forms camouflage the shape of two instruments. Several other works are reminiscent of Futurism, another early twentieth century art movement. Cubism began in Paris with Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, and Futurism followed a couple of years later in Italy, borrowing stylistic choices from Cubism but focusing on celebrating the dynamism of the modern world.

Owens’ artistic practice includes notable sculpture commissions for Langston University, including a bronze bust of a past president and a 20-foot metal work for the institution’s centennial. Owens has also created bronze sculptures depicting Bill Pickett, a Black Oklahoma cowboy, and Crispus Attucks, a Black and Native hero of the Revolutionary War.

Owens’ education includes a bachelor’s degree in arts education from Langston University, a master’s degree in education from Central State University — now the University of Central Oklahoma — and a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. His passion for learning matches a passion for educating, and he has held teaching positions at two of his alma maters, Langston University and UCO. Never tired of learning or traveling, he pursued further education throughout his career, including studying painting at the American Center for Artists in Paris, France, and—as a Fulbright Scholar—art history at the University of Rome, Italy. Traveling through West Africa, he immersed himself in African art and culture. In Greece, he researched and sketched historical sites. He now supports his community through Owens Arts Place Museum in Guthrie. For Owens’ efforts through the museum as well as his many years as an educator, Governor Stitt and the Oklahoma Arts Council presented him with a Community Service Award at the 44th Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Awards ceremony in 2021.‍

Jessie Ghere Feather‍

Jessie Ghere Feather is based in Jenks, Oklahoma, where she teaches art classes in her studio. A self-taught artist, Feather’s work interprets nature based on her observations and experiences. Feather explored multiple mediums while teaching herself to translate observation into artistic form, allowing her freedom within her craft. Focused mainly on pastels, oils, and scrimshaw, Feather also employs pencil, ink, and sculpture to round out her practice. For Feather, adoration for her surroundings has always been a main inspiration. She explains, “at a very early age I developed a deep attachment to animals, wildlife, and nature.” The sixth generation in a long artistic lineage, Feather has passed on the love of art to her children and grandchildren.

The exhibit Generations is an ode to family tradition as well as a celebration of animal life. Artworks on view such as “Champion,” “Night Vision,” and “Bull of the Woods” honor the unique characteristics of horses, owls, and moose, while Only in America celebrates the bison, an Oklahoma icon. The Hiding Place and Hidden evoke tenderness for baby wildlife and appreciation for the efforts of unseen yet loving caregivers.

More youngsters appear in Everybody’s Baby, Singing Lessons, Breakfast for Two, and Son of Thunder, shown nurtured and supported by herd, pack, and parents. Feather’s deep love for nature is evident throughout, not least in her sensitivity in portraying the deep bonds between her subjects.

Feather’s successful career spans five decades and includes special recognition for her talent at the rare art of scrimshaw, for which she was featured on OETA. A medium first employed by whalers in the late eighteenth century, scrimshaw involves carving bone or ivory for decorative or utilitarian purposes. Her artwork has won numerous awards in categories such as Western, oils, pastel, and best-in-show at arts festivals throughout Oklahoma as well as in Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. Although a fire in 2000 nearly destroyed Feather’s studio and home, the loss of her collected works did not defeat her creativity nor her desire to share the love of art as a mother, grandmother, teacher, and artist.‍

John David Rule‍

John David Rule is an accomplished leather worker and sculptor from Minco, Oklahoma. He began working with leather at age eleven and completed his first saddle by sixteen. He honed his skills at a saddlery shop in Oklahoma City, which he eventually purchased with his wife, Dona Kay. Together, they put in long hours raising a family and running a business.

After twenty-five years focused on leather work, Rule eventually added sculpting to his repertoire. “I’d always wanted to sculpt … it was always in the back of my head,” says Rule, who at age twelve won a statewide sculpture contest with a small wire horse. Although the methods used in sculpting and leather work are different, he found commonalities. “I can’t add or take away anything on a piece of leather … but I am essentially still sculpting…trying to bring a flat plane to make it look like it’s three-dimensional.”

Rule is captivated by his home state. “The West encompasses many things—great landscape vistas, sunrises, sunsets, wildlife, cowboys, Native culture past and present, and human interaction with all of the above,” he says. This inspiration is seen in the patterns of his leatherwork. A saddlebag decorated with an exquisite oak leaf and acorn motif demonstrates Rule’s eye for design. Rule is also inspired by his wife—a jacket and purse on display were made for Dona Kay.

While Rule’s leatherwork is full of intricate designs, his sculptures capture subjects in still and dynamic poses. His keen observation of the natural world shines in scenes where geese are poised for flight, a bison mother is resting with her calf, and a mother bear is standing tall above her cubs. Disconnected is perhaps his most energetic work, with the fate of both cowboy and horse suspended in time. Two famed performers on view, Sourdough Slim and Annie Oakley, are shown executing signature acts. Other pieces show Rule’s humor. The exhibition demonstrates his attention to detail and appreciation for craft across a variety of subjects and materials. A quintessential craftsman, Rule remains humble about his incredible talents, saying, “What I do is what I do, but there is always room for improvement.”

Rule has received many commissions for his leatherwork and sculpture. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and has garnered various awards. Rule created a life-size sculpture of Annie Oakley for the outdoor area of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. His large-scale sculpture, Downstream Drifters, is installed at Oklahoma City Community College. Public sculptures by Rule include statues of W. P. “Bill” Atkinson and Bob Funk. Most recently, he was commissioned to create the bust of Oklahoma Governor J. Kevin Stitt, now on display in the Governor’s reception area.