“East of Gilby, September 13, 2026” began with a view across the agricultural fields east of Gilby, North Dakota. Beneath an expansive September sky, the land stretched toward a low line of distant trees, broken only by subtle shifts in crop, color, and texture.
Gilby is a small agricultural community in Grand Forks County, founded in 1887. Farming has long shaped the surrounding landscape, where crops including wheat, soybeans, corn, sugar beets, and edible beans have been grown in the rich soils of northeastern North Dakota.
In the painting, the observed fields become layered passages of olive green, ochre, rust, and deep earth tones. Small vertical marks interrupt the horizontal sweep of the land, while the distant tree line dissolves into a quiet blue sky. Rather than the sharper divisions visible in the original scene, this microstudy compresses the landscape into color, rhythm, and atmosphere — holding onto the disproportionate presence of sky that first defined the view.
This work is part of Prekker’s ongoing study of the Great Northern Plains and the ways ordinary agricultural landscapes can carry a sense of distance, scale, and quiet monumentality.
Note: Expected availability for this work is November 2026.
2026
Original acrylic on paper
6 × 6 in. (Matted to 5 × 5 in.)
Signed PREKKER on lower right
“East of Gilby, September 13, 2026” began with a view across the agricultural fields east of Gilby, North Dakota. Beneath an expansive September sky, the land stretched toward a low line of distant trees, broken only by subtle shifts in crop, color, and texture.
Gilby is a small agricultural community in Grand Forks County, founded in 1887. Farming has long shaped the surrounding landscape, where crops including wheat, soybeans, corn, sugar beets, and edible beans have been grown in the rich soils of northeastern North Dakota.
In the painting, the observed fields become layered passages of olive green, ochre, rust, and deep earth tones. Small vertical marks interrupt the horizontal sweep of the land, while the distant tree line dissolves into a quiet blue sky. Rather than the sharper divisions visible in the original scene, this microstudy compresses the landscape into color, rhythm, and atmosphere — holding onto the disproportionate presence of sky that first defined the view.
This work is part of Prekker’s ongoing study of the Great Northern Plains and the ways ordinary agricultural landscapes can carry a sense of distance, scale, and quiet monumentality.
Note: Expected availability for this work is November 2026.
2026
Original acrylic on paper
6 × 6 in. (Matted to 5 × 5 in.)
Signed PREKKER on lower right
