Waterfield photos on display at Good Samaritan

KEARNEY— CHI Health Good Samaritan welcomes Nebraska artist Doug Waterfield to its Walkway Gallery. His paintings will be on display through November 2024.

Waterfield, a Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, has a diverse artistic style, with some of his works being an impressionist version of naturalism, while others are abstract with a mid-century influence. He draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, including art history, pop culture, the natural world and personal experience. Waterfield’s work is often characterized by intricate details and bold use of color, which he uses to convey a range of emotions and ideas.

“I prefer to work in oil because it’s very forgiving and allows a lot of work time. I can leave things for a day or two and allow ideas to develop, or “ferment” as I say.  With this approach, I sometimes come back and wipe an entire painting away to start over, which is fine. It’s only paint. I think art should be fun and enjoyable, and that’s what I have attempted to make,” says Waterfield.

Email the artist at doug@dougwaterfield.com for pricing and purchase information or visit www.dougwaterfield.com for more information.

The gallery at Good Samaritan has provided a respite to those walking the hospital’s halls since 2008.

More about Doug Waterfield–written by Doug Waterfield
Doug Waterfield is a tenured Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He was born in 1969 and grew up with a passion for art, which he pursued throughout his academic and professional career. Waterfield graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design in 1991, followed by a Master of Arts in art history in 1997. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting in 2007, cementing his credentials as a respected artist and academic. He spent 10 years as a professor at the Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas before his journey to the windy plains of Nebraska.

Waterfield has enjoyed exhibitions at the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna, the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas and various other museums, galleries, truck stops and questionable alleyways across the USA Outside of his professional pursuits, Waterfield is a devoted husband and father of three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the beauty of nature and of human beings, sampling fine bourbons and staying up-to-date on the latest trends in contemporary art.

Overall, Doug Waterfield is a multifaceted artist and educator who has made significant contributions to the world of art and academia. His work is both thought-provoking and visually stunning, and his dedication to teaching for almost 25 years has helped inspire the next generation of artists and scholars.

Artist Statement–written by Doug Waterfield
For this show, I offer you 46 paintings on a wide range of subjects.  I tend to work in series, so I tried to pull a few from each series I’ve worked on over the past decade or so.  The subject matter is board, as is the style.  At this stage in my career, I enjoy the freedom to experiment, and not necessarily produce what people expect from me.  I like trying new things, and allowing influences to happen organically, in style and subject matter.  I paint what I like, or whatever I am fixated on at the moment.  I paint mainly for myself, or my students, but have also been known to accept the odd commission here and there.

You’ll see influences from nature, mid-century modernism, old Las Vegas signage, bugs I played with as a child, and general weirdness. I gravitate toward bright colors, a loose, painterly brushstroke and medium scale.  I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I enjoyed making them.  I hope that enjoyment comes through in the work!

More about the CHI Health Good Samaritan Walkway Gallery
The Walkway Gallery is a dedicated corridor connecting the main hospital to the West Tower at Good Samaritan. This gallery gives regional artists more than 200 feet of display space with lighting and security systems to professionally highlight their artistic works. It was developed as part of Good Samaritan's Planetree philosophy of patient-centered healing. The Art Steering Committee follows a competitive selection process using documented research criteria for art that supports healing in a hospital environment to choose the artists featured in the gallery. A new artist will display his or her works every four months. To submit art for consideration, please contact the Foundation at (308) 865-2700.