Bly and Rowan Pope | Open Skies

Our hyper-realistic landscape drawings are done in charcoal or pencil, and depict "places of memory"  throughout the United States in which we have grown, learned, and changed. The works in this exhibit embody  our belief that the mundane is miraculous, the ordinary is extraordinary, and the commonplace is singular and  sublime. The landscapes are empty of human presence, and are meant to celebrate the majesty and grandeur  of a country filled with the natural beauty we often overlook in our routine, insulated daily lives. Our wish is to  show that the open outdoor places of the world, in their stillness and quiet peace, are an important part of who  we are. These places deserve our veneration and awe, our heartfelt introspection, and our humble gratitude. Honoring these places is a way for us to cultivate hope and optimism, and a way for us to move toward greater  health, happiness and personal meaning. – Bly and Rowan Pope, 2022  

About the Artists 

Bly Pope

Bly Pope is an artist with a profound dedication and experience with hyperrealism and the classic fine art traditions. He graduated from Stanford University and received his Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Minnesota. 

His work has been shown and awarded in numerous exhibitions. His drawing, “Maryanna,” was selected to be a part of the National Portrait Competition Exhibition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in 2013-2014. 

His artwork has been shown in  many national and international exhibitions and has won numerous awards. Public collections include The Cafesjian Museum of Fine Art, Armenia and the Minneapolis Institute of Art,  Minneapolis, MN. 

Rowan Pope 

Rowan Pope is an artist whose work explores the human condition by telling visual narratives. Many of his  drawings and paintings are inspired by great stories from literature, particularly the surreal work of Franz  Kafka. Rowan also draws and paints landscapes, which are meant to celebrate the vast beauty and quiet  peace of nature, and humanity’s humble place within it. Rowan has worked extensively with genocide and  Holocaust survivors, and some of his art derives from the devastating real-life stories told by those survivors.  While his drawn landscapes derive from single photographs, he also works in an imaginative style of hyper realism called “composite hyper-realism,” in which he integrates photographs into digital collages and  transforms those collages into meticulous drawings.  

Rowan graduated from Stanford University and received his Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of  Minnesota. In 2013 he created an illustrated book based on the stories of Holocaust survivor Joe Grosnacht,  for which he received a Major Arts Grant from Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Council. He recently received a  Faculty Development Grant to travel to Prague, Czech Republic, to create drawings about the life of Franz  Kafka.  

His artwork has been shown in many national and international exhibitions and has won numerous awards.  Public collections include The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN, and the Walker Art Center,  Minneapolis, MN.

Gallery Hours

Tuesday–Saturday 11am–5pm and by appointment