For your consideration is this beautiful oil on canvas titled, "The Bird Girl at the Big Water" done by renowned artist J.A. Kirkpatrick (North Dakota, 1898-1984). Joseph Kirkpatrick was a North Dakota artist best known for his Western cowboy works of art. In 1898, James Kirkpatrick was born on a farm close to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. His family relocated to a 160-acre ranch close to the Montana border in 1903, not far from the present-day hamlet of Beach, North Dakota. After finishing his education in Beach, he went on to study painting at the Chicago school and the School of Applied Art in Battle Creek, Michigan. He joined the Army when World War I started. He relocated to Jamestown and founded the Kirkpatrick Sign Company once his employment ended. He created commercial art for a living through this company. Kirkpatrick was a commercial artist by trade, but he also painted oil on occasion. Throughout his lifetime, he produced almost 3,000 original paintings, demonstrating his extraordinary skill. Cowboys, ranchers, and American Indians were frequently shown in his western-themed artwork. His art has been shown nationally and is included in the Smithsonian Institution's and the U.S. Senate's permanent collections. He was also the focus of a feather feature published in Parade Magazine in 1965. The painting depicts a Native American woman, Sakakawea (Sacagawea or Sacajawea), also know as Bird Woman sitting near a shore next to her child as a group of Native American men haul in a large shark they have just caught. In the background on the shore appear to be two white men, likely Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as Sakakawea would have been guiding them on their journey at this point in time. The art has been placed in a dark colored frame with a silver colored accent running through the interior of the frame. The art work shows good condition overall with little to no wear present, and no signs of obvious damage. The visible art measures 23 1/8" L x 36 1/2" W, while the entire piece measures 29 11/16" L x 43" W.