Redlin Art Center

The Redlin Art Center is Terry Redlin's GIFT to the State of South Dakota and all its visitors.

The Gallery

Over 150 of Terry Redlin's original oil paintings hang in the impressive building at the junction of U.S. Highway 212 and Interstate 29 in Watertown, South Dakota.

Designed by Charles Redlin, son of the popular artist, the Redlin Art Center is truly a family project. While Terry Redlin contributed the artwork, it was Charles who planted the seed for the art center 25 years ago. He wanted to preserve and display under one roof his father's original oil paintings. The young Redlin says it was a hard sell. "I told Dad I wanted him to stop selling his originals. I wanted a place to display them after he was gone." The elder Redlin, who was living in a home and studio on the shores of Lake Minnetonka in Mound, Minnesota, eventually warmed to the idea, and the project was accelerated so it would be completed, instead, during his lifetime.

Have you ever wanted to step into a Terry Redlin painting? With his trademark use of light, whether a sunset, a campfire, or the warm glow coming from lamp light inside a rustic log cabin, Terry Redlin invites us to share in the experiences he creates on canvas. His style, often referred to as "romantic realism", is not only a visual experience, but one that awakens all of our senses. As our eyes slowly discover the subtle nuances within each painting, our bodies become attune to the season. We shiver as we recall the experience of building a snowman or itch when recalling the sensation of chaff on our necks during threshing time; we become aware of the time of day, especially dusk or dawn when the light is soft and shadows dance. We recall the smells... of cutting hay, burning leaves, baking pies...and our imagination allows us to step inside each painting.

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