A recent visit to the 18th floor of the North Dakota State Capitol had me recalling not only the beauty of porcelain art painting, but the wonderful friendships that come with taking lessons with other artists in this unique medium. In 1980, Congress declared Porcelain Painting a fine art.

The Mid State Porcelain Art Guild, along with the North Dakota Council on the Arts, currently has arranged a porcelain art exhibit that is on display on the 18th floor of the capitol through the end of April. If you have the chance, go and see these amazing works of art that include the process of kiln firing at approximately 1,400 degrees.

My mother was a member of this guild for many years, and she enjoyed china painting. Her interest in porcelain art came about because Underwood was blessed to have three influential active china painters, Carrie Anderson, Marguerite Brown, and Ella Sayler. They were not only talented artists but gifted teachers as well. Mom’s first completed work was with Carrie. It was a shell-shaped dished with prairie roses. Mom kept that piece in constant view because it reminded her where she started and how she had improved by taking lessons for several years.

I was blessed at the age of 14 to take lessons from Ella Sayler. She was not only a master artist but teacher as well. My lessons were Friday evenings from 7-9 pm at her home. On her kitchen table was her first plate done in violets, and she too used this as a gauge to see her incredible growth artistically. She and her husband, Art, used it daily as their plate for breakfast toast.

I looked forward to my lessons each week and to be inspired by Ella’s gentle and encouraging words. My first piece was also a violet. She understood that my strength did not lie in dribbling a basketball and reminded me that I had a different trail to blaze and one that I could use for a lifetime. Lessons about art, life and learning to embrace things that bring meaning to your life were given weekly. I was beyond blessed to have this opportunity.

As I look back on her artwork and now as an adult with my education in art, I am amazed at her ability to see light, shadow and composition. Her prairie roses will always be outstanding. She also taught me to paint pinecones, and to this day, they are still one of my favorite subjects to paint on porcelain.

My interest in porcelain art continued, and in time I joined the Mid State Porcelain Art Guild and had the pure honor of taking lessons with my mother. These lessons were given weekly by Betty Nathan of Turtle Lake at her farm home. Those attending lessons were Marcella Roseth, Gladys Rust, Millie Miller, Donna Brown, Clara Krantz, my mother Marian Repnow and me. I was appointed to be the chauffeur and most often I drove Marcella’s brown, 1975 Ford Galaxie because the 4-doors were convenient.

Betty had an effervescence that we all admired. Painting and its concepts came to her with ease, and she weekly rekindled our imaginations, not only with art–but cooking as well. Her farm home was busy and meals were often being prepared when we arrived. We took turns bringing lunch but this did not stop Betty from offering us small supper samples and sometime asking for advice to improve flavor. The recipe today came about because each one of us had a tip for adding flavor to Salisbury steak. The hand-painted poppy tray that is also featured in the photo was painted by my mother. Poppies were her favorite.

Looking back and being a young man, I was privileged to be in the company of these amazing strong and creative women. One of the rules Betty had for painting was that the TV must be turned off. With a brush in hand and a ready canvas, cutting the information chain was easy! Along with painting advice, I learned many life lessons. As these artists painted, they shared stories, they inspired one another, and they reminded us to make the most of every day.

A flood of gratitude and treasured memories filled my soul as I viewed the exquisite porcelain art work at the capitol building. The artists exhibiting were Marvel Klingenstein, Della Hartgrove, Vida Womacks Klocke, Vicki Benzmiller, Grace Kuntz, Roberta Barnhardt, Vicky Larson-Schmidt, Linda Maize, Luann Selvage-Allsworth and Edie Wait.

Also, on the 18th floor, there is a composite of 33 North Dakota Governors and one of the 35 North Dakota Lieutenant Governors. Looking at them, I realized that there are only two women pictured. Ruth L Meiers who served as Lieutenant Governor from 1985-87 and Rosemarie C Myrdal who served at Lieutenant Governor from 1992-2000. Only two women? Why?

My time spent with these porcelain artists has taught me that women are natural for these leadership positions. They are most often the ones who hold together the family. Their natural instinct is to care for others. They are masters of juggling time and responsibilities. As I turned to leave, I once again saw the biographies of ten artists and was reminded that we will need to think about the leadership skills women have to offer. Upon entering this exhibit and seeing the adjacent composites, I think we are missing some great leadership opportunities.

China Painters Salisbury Steak

1 medium onion

½ cup panko breadcrumbs plus 1 tablespoon wheat germ

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 egg

2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste

2 tablespoons Lipton dry onion soup mix

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoon dry mustard

Grated the onion finely and mix with the breadcrumbs and wheat germ in large bowl. Let this mixture soak for 5 minutes. Blend with fork. To this add the rest of the ingredients and smile because you know this is going to be good. Mix well and form into patties that are a little over a ½ inch thick. Brown patties in a skillet with which has been coated with olive oil. Cook the first side for 2 minutes over medium to high heat and then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from pan.

Mushroom Gravy

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic

10 ounces fresh mushroom sliced.

3 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoon flour

3 cup beef broth

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in skillet and scrape browning. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Add butter and once melted, add flour a little at a time and stirring constantly.

Slowly add broth while stirring until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return patties to pan and continue cooking for 7-9 minutes. Gravy will thicken at this time and may need water added to thin. These are delicious served over mashed potatoes. These rewarm with extra favor should there be any leftovers.