Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Nurturing love for nature through art

Monday, August 27, 2018
Vicki Outman’s piece entitled “Lake Tannecomo” at the Cape Girardeau Nature Conservation Center.
Photo by Brooke Holford.

The August art gallery at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center this month aims to inspire viewers to get back into nature.

Jackson native and Southeast graduate Vicki Outman was selected as August’s Guest Artist of the Month. Her show, titled “Conservation Areas of Missouri, with Flora and Fauna,” features portraits of animals and still life from conservation areas throughout Missouri.

Outman graduated from Southeast in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in education. She began teaching in St. Louis and met her husband, Jim Outman, there. In 1972, they returned to Cape Girardeau, where they raised their three children.

Vicki Outman’s piece entitled “Tom Sauk Mountain” at the Cape Girardeau Nature Conservation Center.
Photo by Brooke Holford.

Outman said she wanted to raise her kids in this area because she wanted them to grow up where there was wildlife and she knew they could enjoy and appreciate the land.

Through her artwork, Outman hopes to inspire an appreciation for the natural landscapes and reveal the buried treasures hidden around Missouri.

With her children grown, Outman has been able to focus more on her work. She draws and paints with other artists, attends workshops, and competes in contests around the state. She is also a member of the Art Council of Southeast Missouri and the Visual Arts Cooperative.

Outman also spends time learning about the historical significance of the landscapes she paints. While working on this gallery, her research took her all over Southeast Missouri, from the waterfall in St. Genevieve County to Elephant Rocks State Park in Iron County and everywhere in between.

“I want to show the beauty of natural land that is so fastly disappearing,” Outman said. “There are always trees and other wildlife being destroyed so that we can build new things where they used to be. It’s such a shame that beautiful landscapes are disappearing.”

In a society so centered around technology, Outman now makes it a point to impart the value of the land and wildlife in her grandchildren.

“Look out the window and get off the social media,” Outman said. “Children these days miss the beautiful creations that God has blessed us with.”

Outman’s gallery at the Cape Girardeau Nature Conservation Center runs for the rest of August.

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