The artworks on display at my Residence convey our love for America. We are especially proud to have that patriotism reflected in the art, as we celebrate 250 years of America’s independence and carry forward President Trump’s vision for a new era of U.S. leadership for the next 250 years.

Many of the artworks feature the American flag, affectionately known as the Stars and Stripes. By 1777, the flag was a unifying banner for the original 13 colonies as they fought for independence. The flag has long symbolized American freedom, identity, and strength.

Two of the artworks reflect the groundswell of patriotism that followed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Patrick Matthews’s A Strong Statement originated from his desire to paint the American flag on September 11, 2001. Tim Yanke’s Yanke Doodle (Pledge of Allegiance) was likewise inspired by the tragic events of that day.

It is a privilege to showcase this art in Ottawa. We would like to express our gratitude to all the artists represented here. We would also like to thank the State Department’s Office of Art in Embassies for helping us present the United States through art.

Ambassador Pete Hoekstra
Ottawa, Canada

Katherine Dolgy Ludwig is a watercolorist who paints directly from life, capturing scenes as they unfold. She works serially, producing large, place-based groups of paintings that document the rhythms of public space and civic life.

Working on site, she develops each series through sustained observation, creating roughly 60-100 works focused on locations, including New York, the Florida Gulf Coast, Paris, and London. Her ongoing series of Washington, D.C., has more than 200 watercolors depicting city life from 2020 onwards. These paintings tell the story of the historic landmarks depicted and the people gathered there to celebrate their American heritage.

Ludwig received both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from the University of Toronto, an associate’s degree in painting from Toronto’s OCAD University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Chelsea College of the London Institute. Among her awards and honors, she has participated in fellowships at freeDimensional and A.I.R. Gallery in New York.

Patrick Matthews is an expressionist painter known for boldly colored, textured oil paintings of landscapes, still life, and abstracts. A Strong Statement originated from his desire to paint the American flag on September 11, 2001. Following its completion, Matthews produced an edition of 1,000 flag prints, donating the proceeds and the original painting to Ladder Company 54, Battalion 9—the fire station in New York City that lost several firefighters during the attack. Each of his American flag paintings reference celebration, resilience, loss, and national identity, which he describes as reflecting an “unshakable pride in the freedom and principles the flag represents.”

A native of Arkansas, Matthews was deeply influenced by the surrounding landscape from an early age. After graduating from the college of architecture at the University of Arizona, Tucson, he worked as a design architect before becoming a full-time artist.

For over fifty years, Susan Pear Meisel has created whimsical scenes of landmarks in New York, Washington, D.C., and other major cities. Her “use of ink and lines create a playful layering within the composition.” Whether a print or silkscreen, “the inked hues carry their tonalities to the surface of the paper. The layering of multiple colors builds up a ground pattern that engages with one another in a vibrancy of color.”

Meisel studied at the Art Students League, the School of Visual Arts, and the Parsons School of Design, all in New York. She helped establish the Louis K. Meisel Gallery in New York’s Soho neighborhood, where it continues to exhibit photorealist artists, realist painters, and sculptors. Her works are included in the collections of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut; the Erie Art Museum, Pennsylvania; and the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Drawing artistic inspiration from retro advertising, midcentury modernism, and pop iconography, John Stango brings the tradition of pop art into the twenty-first century. Bold brushstrokes, hard textures, and saturated color produce immediately recognizable canvases, as seen in his Untitled (American Flag) painting. Stango’s work is imbued with a sense nostalgia that remains distinctly contemporary.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Stango earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and graphic design from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He worked as a visual merchandiser for Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s before pursuing art full time. In addition to his studio practice, Stango uses his work to financial support charities and educational initiatives worldwide.

Tim Yanke draws on the colors and culture of the American southwest to create bold, rhythmic, and compelling works. He is best known for his abstract expressionist paintings, particularly his depictions of dragonflies and his American flag series known as “Yanke Doodles.” Yanke Doodle (Pledge of Allegiance) was inspired by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, when he and his son installed a flagpole in their front yard as a symbol of patriotism and remembrance to all the lives lost. The non-traditional colors in his “Yanke Doodle” flags reference the different cultures, countries, and communities who had come to the United States.

Yanke holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in advertising and graphic arts at the University of North Texas. After exhibiting at an art fair in Southfield, Michigan, his work gained broader recognition. Yanke lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.