Lifelong South Dakotan and artist-educator Dick Termes is the focus of the latest book published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press. The book, titled Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary, will go on sale to the public March 19, 2024.
With this book, author Craig Volk offers the first intellectual biography of Termes and his art, focusing on the development of his signature art form, the Termesphere. Over the past half century, Termes has created over 400 unique Termespheres, each one a fascinating interplay of vanishing points and multiple perspectives. The book’s introduction, written by art critic Bill Fleming, cofounder / managing partner of Hot Pink Ink, Marketing Company, places Termes in the canon of Western art.
Born in 1941, Termes lives on the ranch built by his grandparents in the lower valley south of Spearfish. He graduated from Black Hills State University in 1964 and 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 a master of fine arts degree at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, where he further developed the concept.
In an unusual move for artists feted by the West Coast art world, Termes returned home to South Dakota and the northern Black Hills, where he worked as an artist-educator through artists in schools’ programs. He and his wife, fellow artist Markie Scholz, built several geodesic domes on the family ranch, including the one housing the Termesphere Gallery since 1992.
Volk is an award-winning playwright, poet, screenwriter, biographer, and memoirist. He spent twelve years working in the television/film industry, including a staff position on the Emmy-winning series Northern Exposure. His historical bio-drama titled A Dustbowl Book of Days, 1932 was published by South Dakota Historical Society Press in 2021.
Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary is available for preorder for $27.95, plus shipping and tax, at https://www.sdhspress.com/books/dick-termes. Booksellers can contact the press at info@sdhspress.com to place orders. Preordered books will be shipped prior to the book’s publication date. For more information about the South Dakota Historical Society Press, please visit sdhspress.com and follow @sodakhistory on Facebook.
About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution since 2013, is headquartered in Pierre. For questions or memberships, call 605-773-3458 or visit https://history.sd.gov/ for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call 605-394-1936 for more information.
