Boerboom MasterWorks - Catalina Mountains2

Maybe it was beginner’s luck. Or an overnight sensation, decades in the making. However Paul Boerboom thinks about it, he certainly didn’t expect to earn two top awards in his first MasterWorks competition. The 19th annual juried art exhibition, coordinated by the South Dakota Health Care Association, showcases the talents of state residents ages 60 and older.

Paul’s “Red Chair” and “Catalina Mountains” pieces are among the winning entries on display now through early January at Black Hills State University, in Spearfish, SD. Jurors reviewed more than 180 works in all, awarding first-, second-, and third-place prizes as well as honorable mention in seven mediums and two age groups: Experienced, for ages 60-79; and Masters, for ages 80 and older. Paul received his prizes during a kick-off celebration at the Good Samaritan National Campus in Sioux Falls, SD.

Boerboom Masterworks - Red Chair framed“A big part of my effort and interest in my architectural career has always been in illustrations,” Paul says. His sketches connect him to the architectural designs he creates with and for clients. The process is a way to work through early ideas and infuse concept boards with a personal touch. It’s also becoming a bit of a forgotten art, now that BIM tools such as Revit, SketchUp, and Lumion are the industry standard. Those programs can develop 3-D environments, but an original work of art remains more immersive from an emotional perspective.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Paul was an avid painter through his teen years, but set aside thoughts of a career in fine art because didn’t want to be a “starving artist.” He carried that sensibility with him into architecture, even when dedicating himself to the practice meant his own artwork “all but disappeared.”                                                                                                                                                                                Even if he didn’t realize how much he missed it, those who know him best encouraged him to return to his art. “It was really my sister and my cousin—both accomplished artists—who kept pestering me to start painting again,” Paul says. Finally, last winter, they wore him down. “Red Chair,” which won first in acrylics for the Experienced category, began as a snapshot he took of snow on his deck furniture. “Catalina Mountains,” the top drawing/pastels piece, is a scene from his sister’s daily landscape, in Arizona. Paul took “Red Chair” through several pencil studies to fine-tune the composition before creating a small painting and finally working in the 22×28 finished size.

“I can be somewhat of a perfectionist when I’m creating a piece. There’s always something else or something more I could do,” Paul says. “The biggest thing was just to start.”

SD Health Care Association Dakota MasterWorks Exhibition

Now through January 8:  Black Hills State University Yellow Jacket Student Union, in the 2nd floor Ruddell Gallery, Spearfish, SD.  Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

January 26: Ramkota Hotel, Pierre, SD, as part of the SDHCA Legislative Reception. Hours are 6 to 8 p.m.

Cost: Free

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TSP is a fast-paced, full-service design firm that successfully integrates architecture, engineering, interior design, and planning. Since 1930, TSP has been discovering facility design solutions that truly match the vision and mission of our clients. Our collaborative approach explores opportunities, addresses concerns, and defines design to achieve goals that create a balance between function and form. TSP is passionate about design and even more passionate about our clients. The firm serves clients throughout the Midwest, with offices in Marshalltown, Iowa; Marshall, Minnetonka, and Rochester, Minn.; Omaha, Neb.; Rapid City and Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Sheridan, Wyo.