Reflecting the prairie
July 1, 2026
By Amy Cecil Holm
The Brookings Beacon
Before she learned the techniques of an artist, Eileen Binkley learned something more important: how to notice the world around her.
As a child, she discovered beauty in the changing South Dakota landscape and seasons, exploring the secret corners and open stretches of her family’s farm near Oakwood Lakes.
Those lessons in observation have become the heart of her artwork today, which features drawings and paintings of botanicals and woodland creatures and cottages, among other subjects. Her Scandinavian heritage and love of folk art are also inspirations.
“All of my work is nature-based, inspired by the flora and fauna of South Dakota but also the magic that I fostered in my childhood brain of this enchanted forest on the farm,” she said. “The farm was passed down by my great-grandfather, so there was a lot of history there. When you’re that close to nature for so long, you can really observe the minutiae of it. I would really zero in on the turquoise of the dragonfly, and I remember the hollyhocks and lilacs and bumblebees, the alfalfa in the field. There was so much beauty there, even though it was a very humble life.”
Binkley will display her work at the Summer Arts Festival July 11-12 at Pioneer Park. She joins more than 175 other artists from across the nation at the festival, an annual event that has been a Brookings tradition since 1972.
This will be Binkley’s ninth year participating in the festival, although she has attended since early childhood. As the Media Award Winner from last year’s Summer Arts Festival, she created the logo for this year’s event, inspired by her original artwork, “Mushroom Moth.”
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to represent the festival that exposed me to art in the first place and that I have attended for as long as I can remember, for every year of my life,” she said. “I can remember being there as a child, listening to the music, looking at the art, the beads, the weaving and spinning yarn, and that was my introduction to the idea of an art world—that there is a place where people just create, and others come and enjoy what they make.”
Binkley went to school in Estelline until age 14, then moved to Brookings, where she was active in theater and art. She majored in art and education at SDSU and in 2008 began teaching at Medary Elementary. She later taught at George S. Mickelson Middle School for 10 years, and then moved to Brookings High School—a dream job, she said, taking over for one of her mentors when he retired.
However, she soon made the difficult yet rewarding decision to stay at home with her three children, Linus, Lena, and Leif.
Now, Binkley participates in regional art festivals, always traveling with a friend or family members. She also works part-time for the Brookings Arts Council as program manager and teaches community art classes for all ages.
She credits her husband, Steve Binkley, and the rest of her family for supporting her as an artist.
“Family help and support is how I am able to be a mother and an artist,” she said.
Motherhood greatly influences her art, Binkley said. When she was pregnant with Linus in 2012, she started drawing black and white ink drawings of owl and fox families just to pass the time. She found that impending motherhood helped her reconnect with the curiosity and optimism that first prompted her to create art as a child.
“I was reflecting on my own childhood and remembering what brought me joy when I was little,” she said. Her animal drawings were a departure from the large oil paintings she’d done in college. “I started drawing these animals, these small, intricate drawings, and then I added color. Now I work in smaller scale, and part of the creation process is the mindfulness of every little leaf, petal, and shadow on the fur. Creating brings me a sense of joy and peace that I haven’t found anywhere else in my life. It’s always been that way.”
Now, she describes herself as primarily a watercolor artist. According to her artist statement, Binkley often develops the forms with ink before layering watercolor, but other times she starts with watercolor. She uses gold leaf to add warmth to her creations, calling this “a little glittery element in the corner of your eye.” She has also started working with gouache, a type of paint similar to watercolor but thicker and more opaque, allowing more layering.
Binkley’s teacher’s heart still dictates her approach to her artwork. “Self-expression is so important,” she said. “Creativity is vital to our society, especially right now. We have to work together as artists and teachers and musicians to create safe spaces and continue to make joy and little pockets of peace where we can. It’s vitally important to me to make young people feel safe and heard through my art. Knowing that I have helped a young person to feel safe is one of the best feelings I can describe to you.”
She encourages people of all ages to explore their artistic interests.
“Creativity is a muscle that can be developed, and painting and drawing are skills that can be honed,” she said. “Just keep creating. Keep going.”
For more information on Binkley’s art, go to eileenbinkleyart.com, and for Brookings Summer Arts Festival details, go to bsaf.com.