In 1784, Abel Buell published the first map of the newly independent United States compiled, printed, and published in America by an American.¹ It presents a young nation still concentrated along the Atlantic, with most of what we now call the American West lying beyond its edge. That absence is striking. It is not an empty land. Indigenous nations, established territories, trade routes, and generations of history already existed far beyond the boundaries shown. What is absen

I'm Kim Randleas, an oil painter working from the mountains of Eastern Oregon. My paintings are rooted in the people, history, and traditions of the American West. This is where I’ll share the work behind the finished paintings: the historical research, museum collections, old photographs, books, artifacts, travels, and discoveries that influence what eventually reaches the canvas. It is an opportunity to look beyond the finished work and into the world from which it comes. O