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Reviews & Publicity:
“The thrill of melding science, mathematics, art and color into a Termesphere endlessly delights Dick Termes. [Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary] takes readers into the world of the Spearfish artist and his revolutionary 360-degree optical illusion paintings.” — Tanya Manus, Rapid City Journal article on the book release
“Termes for Volk is not just a good friend, but a creator who is both contemplative and original—and thereby, a compelling character. . . . Volk places Termes with the likes of Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor behind Mount Rushmore, on the pantheon of landmark South Dakota Artists.” — Sierra Ferguson, Black Hills Pioneer article on the release of Dick Termes
“Just when you think you understand a Termesphere, your brain convinces you that you don't quite get it, that Dick Termes' notion of six-point perspective is still slightly beyond your grasp. . . . Craig Volk tells the story of Termes and his spellbinding creation in a new biography . . . Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary.” — South Dakota Magazine
“Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, Carig Volk's "Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary" from the South Dakota Historical Society Press is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Art History & Contemporary Artists collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.” — James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review
A life-long South Dakotan, artist-educator Dick Termes has revolutionized the art world with his signature art form, the innovative Termesphere. Over the past half century, Termes has created over 400 unique Termespheres, each one a fascinating interplay of vanishing points and multiple perspectives.
Born in 1941, Termes lives on the ranch built by his grandparents in the lower valley south of Spearfish, South Dakota. He graduated from nearby Black Hills State University in 1964. After teaching art for several years, he earned a master’s degree in art from the University of Wyoming, where he first struck upon his concept of the six point perspective. In 1969, he began studies for the Master of Fine Arts degree at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, where he further developed the concept. The California art scene soon took notice.
In an unusual move for artists feted by the West Coast art world, Termes returned home to South Dakota and the northern Black Hills. He continued working as an artist-educator through artists in schools programs and met fellow artist Markie Scholz. They married in 1979, raised two sons, and built a geodesic dome on the family ranch, which has since evolved into a compound of geodesic domes, including one that has housed the Termesphere Gallery since 1992.
With this book, author Craig Volk offers the first intellectual biography of Dick Termes and his art, focusing on the development of his Termespheres. An introduction by art critic Bill Fleming places Termes in the canon of Western art and exquisite photos by Bonny Fleming capture the unique spherical surfaces that convey Termes’s artistic angle on “the gentle world we live in.”