“Even as a devoted Midwesterner, I never thought of the American prairie as a ‘romantic’ part of the earth—until now! This book, beautiful both in literary conception and in Richard Schilling’s exquisitely evocative paintings, makes the prairie as mysterious as Paris, Istanbul, and Shanghai. It will stand, not only as the greatest memorial to the irreplaceable Willa Cather, but to ... Read morethe until-now unknown and unseen parts of our own beloved world.”—Georgie Anne Geyer, syndicated columnist, Universal Press Syndicate "[Portraits of the Prairie] is a stunning homage to Willa Cather and the corner of Nebraska where she grew up and which helped inspire her stories."—Laurie Hertzel, startribune.com "Readers familiar with Cather's work will discover a deeper admiration of her writings while those just discovering her will enjoy the gentle introduction making this much more then just another coffee table book."—Sandy Amazeen, Monsters and Critics "Schilling gives insight to the book when he writes that he felt it was time "before the color fades" to paint his impressions of the prairie that was the creative voice in the life of Willa Cather. His expedition to Webster County and nostalgic return to his own mother's Red Cloud home will enlighten Cather faithful and charm history buffs and artists alike. . . . Read and absorb the paintings in this book, and you will want to journey to Webster County and Catherland."—Robert Hanna, Prairie Fire "Willa Cather created scenes with words and, in his new book, Portraits of the Prairie, Richard Schilling has created similar scenes with watercolors. The resultant pairing of these two artists, both equally enthralled with the beauties of the Nebraskan prairies, is an often stunning look at the rural Midwest."—Kathryn Atwood, BookPleasures.com "Richard Schilling's Portrait of the Prairie: The Land that Inspired Willa Cather is a text that speaks both to those who have read Cather and those who seek to return to their roots."—Richard Jussel, Great Plains Quarterly Show Less