David Wiebe
Watercolor Paintings
Artist Reception: Friday, January 23 4:00 - 6:00 pm
On Display: January - February 2026
This show is available during business hours (Tuesday – Friday from 10 am – 5 pm) or on weekends by advance appointment only.
Bio:
I was born in 1937 in Hanamakonda, AP, India where my parents. and before them my grandparents were missionaries. I completed high school at Kodaikanal International School in South India. My undergraduate degree was from Tabor College in Kansas where art was not a priority. Then with the help of my wife, Lorma, I graduated from KU Med School in 1964. Tuition was much less in those days and I was able to pay for my first semester by selling my paintings. After my internship and some general surgery training at Gorgas hospital in the Canal Zone we went to India to cover two mission hospitals. Then two Years in Pueblo CO in family practice before doing my Orthopedic Residency again at Gorgas Hospital. We moved to Kearney in 1973 and joined a busy practice with Ken Ellis. Throughout my career l've had the privilege of working with doctors who have let me travel to a number of developing countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, assisting in orthopedic training programs.
Lorma and were happily married for 55 years. She died of breast cancer almost 10 years ago. We have three children and 5 grandchildren. I'm of course retired from my primary profession of orthopedic surgery and now get to paint as much as I please.
Artist Statement:
God's creativity has always amazed me in its beauty - from the ultra microscopic to the macroscopic universe and everything in between, there is an astonishing display of beauty. Each human, having been made in the image of God, has a creative spark. This may be expressed in many, many ways from gardening and welding to music and dance. My artistic outlet is painting-particularly in watercolors. For me, moving paint around on paper is a joy.
I paint mostly landscapes based on what I see around me. I like to think there is a little of me in what I see and how I capture it in my paintings.
I have not had much formal art training but have several people to acknowledge in my artistic journey. Jake Klaassen, my sixth grade teacher encouraged a spark he saw in me. Mrs Bilamoria, my high school teacher (Kodaikanal South India) taught me to look, see, and enjoy both art and all that is beautiful. Paul Raj, one of India's foremost watercolorists, gave three of us HS students a lesson while on vacation in Kodai. Jack Karraker let me audit a class at UNK and Larry Peterson has been a good friend and offered critiques. And a book of Winslow Homer's paintings which I have always admired (and may have helped me get into Med School).
Painting has always been a release from the tensions of a busy medical practice. I have been fortunate to have traveled a lot and have found a sketchpad more rewarding than a camera. I do not like to be too literal in my paintings and always appreciate the serendipity that occurs with watercolors. I have only done a few abstracts which were in response to listening to classical music- an essential when painting.
This is somewhat of a dyslectic collection of paintings from places where l've been and of course here in Nebraska. For the most part these are studio renditions done from plein air sketches. The ones in the holder are all plein air studies.
