In the twilight of her life, Lydia E. Curtis created works of art that have lasted decades beyond when she last put brush to paper. Thirty original works from the native Iowan featuring watercolor paintings of native Iowa wildflowers are currently on display at “Wildflowers of the Upper Midwest” at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, 9981 Pacific St., through April 24.
“My mother lived a remarkable Iowa life, raised first on a farm which her grandfather broke the prairie soil to cultivate. Her works capture the beauty of Midwestern wildflowers and give us a window to an earlier time in Iowa,” Curtis’ daughter Cora Hayes said. “Our family is excited to have her paintings exhibited at the restored prairie at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.”
The second of four daughters, Curtis grew up on a farm southwest of Charles City. While still a child, her father recognized she had artistic talents are arranged private lessons. After graduating form high school, she received her bachelor’s degree at Highland Park College in Des Moines.
While raising her five children with her husband James, she self-developed further her painting style, using watercolors and oils.
In her retirement at age 72 in 1958, she started a 15-year project to paint wildflowers indigenous to the upper Midwest. Done in watercolors, Curtis produced about 250 plates of different wildflower species before she decided at age 85 she could no longer “do justice to the beauty of the wildflowers” due to her failing vision and an unsteady hand.
Even though she could no longer create the art, she continued to research each subject. For each painting, she wrote one-page narratives of each flower, including descriptions, the habitats where they were found and uses of the plants by Native Americans and pioneers.
Speaking of her work, Curtis said “In presenting these sketches of spring wild flower, I have not attempted to show all plant structures in scientific detail. I have tried to show the coloring and beauty of these flowers so even a child may recognize them and enjoy them when found. With the rare, hard to find flowers, I hope to help preserve the memory of their beauty.”
The exhibition is presented by Curtis’ family including her surviving daughter and 13 grandchildren. In addition to daily viewing, visitors are invited to join members of the family for a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.