I’m Andrea Ficek Falcon, and I’m a visual artist, musician, and seamstress in Bismarck, North Dakota. I’ve been interested in art my entire life. I’ve explored a lot of different mediums, but I often return back to painting, drawing, and mixed media when I’m not making music or gardening in the summer months.

My biggest inspiration is the natural world. Several years ago, when Dakota West Arts Council put out a call for artists for the Art Alley project in downtown Bismarck, they were looking for North Dakota inspired artwork. I created this piece specifically to submit for this project. I drew inspiration from my grandmother, who was a quilter. She taught me to sew and was a role model of dedication, attention to detail, and love. I also thought of Native cultures and the family I married into.

I incorporated subtle elements of the North Dakota state flag, like eagle feathers, leaves, and sunbursts. I chose a shade of blue for the backdrop to signify the big, beautiful, and open skies of our state. One of the greatest challenges of this piece was the size and getting used to painting on a ladder. Not all of my work is symmetrical, but luckily I was able to use the wall bricks as a grid system to draw out my design before painting. I underestimated how long the black outlining would take, but I think it was worth it and really makes the piece pop. One of my favorite things about this piece is the bold colors. The longer I live here, the more vibrancy I see not only in the landscape and glorious sunsets, but also in the people in their dreams for this place.

My advice to aspiring artists is to keep creating, keep exploring and trying new things, and stay curious. I truly believe that everyone is an artist. Every person has a unique perspective and collection of experiences and art is a way to share that with the world. So share, and see what happens.