Flint Hills Gallery

The Flint Hills is an area with a lot of brilliant sunsets and pastures. Kansas is well known for being flat, but many don't realize just how beautiful the landscapes around this area can often be, and how many colors go through the skies near the morning and near night.

The main artist of the gallery, Jessica Bell, works with water based oil paints (A special kind of oil paint that dissolves with water) to paint and create impressionist landscape and sky paintings.

Jessica is the granddaughter of the late Judith Mackey, who is considered by many to be the original Flint Hills painter. Her work came into prominence with the publication of William Least Heat Moon’s book, PrairyErth, as her painting of a prairie thunderhead was chosen as the cover art for the book. Judith’s originals are no longer for sale but prints and digital prints are available.

Amongst the artwork, Shawna Bell (Judy's daughter) also helps with some of her own paintings, generally in a slightly more detailed style, often being paintings of people enjoying their time in the Flint Hills.

Ken Mackey’s handmade boot jacks, hat racks, cowboy and Native American artifacts adorn the studio, too.

There is also an Etsy account that features dozens of Judy Mackey’s paintings for sale as digital printables.
What is a digital printable? A printable is a file you buy on the site, then you take it to a print store yourself and you can make it into a print of various different sizes.
If you are interested, check out the new Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GalleryDigitals
The artwork of Judith Mackey hangs in museums and permanent collections nationwide, including the Kansas Governor’s Mansion and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.