To view image click on "Access Content Now" above This artwork is an etching printed in brown ink and beautifully hand-coloured in glowing watercolour. The title, “Square Dance” refers to a form of traditional North American folk dance with European roots in which couples dance together, following the moves directed by a caller who accompanies the musicians and sings out directions. Associated with rural social events, this type of dancing evolved out of several European traditions, including the English Morris Dance and the French quadrille. Here, the title is also a visual pun, describing cheerful grasshoppers dancing within squares laid out by golden wheat stems. Though grasshoppers are the enemies of wheat farmers—in hot dry summers, the grasshoppers feeding on growing wheat can easily destroy the crop—in this image, the artist Donna Kriekle playfully re-imagines the insects celebrating a bountiful harvest. Donna Kriekle (1945 - ) was born in Southey, Saskatchewan. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (1969) at the University of Regina, studying painting with Arthur McKay, Ted Godwin, and Doug Morton. Moving to Montreal, she continued her studies in the History of Art, and Comparative Religions programs at Concordia University. In 1979, Kriekle returned to Saskatchewan. She established her studio in Regina, and taught art through University of Regina Extension, MacKenzie Art Gallery Outreach, Emma Lake Arts Program, and the OSAC travelling exhibitions program. A master of watercolour, Kriekle also works in oils, acrylics, photography, drawing, and digital media. Her artwork has exhibited nationally and is held in numerous private and public collections, including Saskatchewan Arts Board and the Canada Council Arts Bank. In 2015, Kriekle’s artwork was featured on the fine silver maple leaf fractional set of collector coins released in 2015 from the Royal Canadian Mint commemorating the historic reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
