Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Model by day, artist by night

Arts | May 8th, 2014

Sabrina Hornung presents “Trail Dust and Sentiment”

Art model, photographer, pin-up girl, burlesque dancer and all-around artist extraordinaire Sabrina Hornung will have her first solo show, “Trail Dust and Sentiment,” at the Plains Art Museum starting this Thursday, May 15.

North Dakota born and bred, Hornung translates the vision of her rural surroundings to the vision of her vintage- and folk-minded intellect. What becomes of her photography is something beyond either classic or modern. It’s very DIY. It’s collage. It’s hip, yet old-fashioned. It’s character based.

It’s also very home-style processed: “I take a picture and I make a collage on top of it. And then have a transparency made and then paint on it with acrylic and spray paint,” Hornung said.

“It has kind of a weird surreal quality, but those are all kind of plays on regionalisms and colloquialisms.”

One of her pieces, My Tumbleweed Sweetheart, is based off a tale she read in a North Dakota-based book “White Gumbo” by Dorothy de St. Clement. Apparently, back in the day, some North Dakotans would tie name-and-addressed ribbons to tumbleweed, hoping it would arrive at the feet of their future lover or soul mate.

A now elderly cowboy from her childhood inspires another piece, Mr. and Mrs. Finch. Hornung also uses subjects like her sister and boyfriend in her artwork. And her subjects are usually engulfed in out-of-the-ordinary colors, accessories or environments.

To add to her exhibition’s North Dakota-folk feel, Hornung chose to frame her pieces using local reclaimed wood.

“By having the local materials, it really complements (the art) quite well,” Hornung said. “I used a lot of ephemeral illustrations from pre 1950s and all that … and plus it’s nice that reclaimed wood is all the rage right now.”

Not that Hornung always goes after “the rage.” The other medium she works with is cyanotypes (typically used for blueprints), which date back to the Victorian era.

“They are just a monochromatic print and I just use water and sunlight to develop them and then I embellish it with watercolor,” she said.

Alternative processing methods and folk art are two things Hornung is naturally attracted to. It’s part of the reason she can take such peculiar images and shape them to look beautiful and make sense to the eye.

“Folk art – there’s not really any pretension in it,” Hornung said. “People create it because they have the desire to do so and it’s just utilizing the materials that you have available.”

Aside from being an art photographer, Hornung also models for college art classes, which was part of her inspiration for wanting to write a weekly art column for the High Plains Reader.

“Modeling for classes, there is so much student work -- and there’s so much awesome work,” Hornung said. “And they don’t market themselves. They are putting together their resumes and they don’t have any press points or anything like that.”

Giving students, and all artists, positive acknowledgment for their work may help them decide to stay in North Dakota and continue creating more art, Hornung said. So ever since last November, she has been regularly interviewing artists and reviewing art, local and regional. Plains Art Spring Gala, Lake Agazzi’s Home Is Where the Art Is, NDSU’s Baccalaureate Candidates are just a few subjects she’s covered.

Hornung’s opening at the Plains will be one of the finest opportunities to see and appreciate her work. The artist’s reception will run from 5:30-7 p.m. in conjunction with local photographer/retired Minnesota State University Moorhead professor Wayne Gudmundson’s art opening for 47º North: Daybreaks at Bad Medicine Lake.

IF YOU GO:

Sabrina Hornung’s “Trail Dust and Sentiment” opening

Opening: Thurs, May 15, 5:30-7 p.m.Runs through: Sept. 7, 2014

Plains Art Museum, 704 1st Ave N, Fargo

plainart.org

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakotans will take part in a nationwide civil rights rally on Thursday, July 17. Protests, marches, rallies and acts of service are scheduled in Bismarck, Bottineau, Devils Lake,…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

July 18-19, 25-26 and August 2-3North Dakota Horse Park, 5180 19th Ave. N., FargoLadies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets — racing season is upon us! Not just horses will be racing this year; word on the street suggests…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Sabrina Hornung Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…