One Horizon Eclipses Another:
The Art and Poetry of the Cross Timbers

Greg Stone & Ryan Slesinger

Tulsa, OK

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The Cross Timbers Ecoregion is a complex mosaic of upland forest, savanna, and prairie that serves as a transition from eastern forests to western prairies, stretching from southern Kansas across Oklahoma and into central Texas. Osage author John Joseph Matthews describes the region in Talking to the Moon: “Those things which I see in the blackjacks are a functioning part of the natural drama of the universe; the particular from which one might learn something of the general….” This exhibition explores the environmental impact and natural beauty of the Cross Timbers through the expression of painting and poetry. This exhibition showcases the interconnection between Stone and Slesinger’s artistic expression, inspired by and complimenting the interwoven latticework of blackjack branches that characterize the Cross Timber region and boldly suggest the delicate ecological interdependence of the region’s native species.