Courtesy photos

Artist Jon Crane works on his painting "Reflections of Fall" in his studio. Crane's wife Gail has written a book about the Mystic artist's life titled "Heartland Legacy: The Art of Jon Crane."

One of the things that Jon Crane likes best about his new book "Heartland Legacy" is that his wife Gail gets to do much of the publicity for it.

"That's the beauty of things," he said with a laugh.

Gail Crane penned a biography of her husband in the recently released "Heartland Legacy: The Art of Jon Crane." The book features a wide array of the Mystic artist's work, paired with an intimate telling of his life.

From his boyhood to the couple's meeting and subsequent marriage to Crane's continued exploration of his art, "Heartland Legacy" was a project Gail set her sights on years ago.

"I've just thought for a long time that I would like to honor him in that way," she said. "He has a very interesting story. It's a creative story."

Crane's story starts with his genetics, Gail writes in "Heartland Legacy." His great-great-grandfather Alfred Waud was a well-known Civil War artist. His great-grandfather Milton Burns was a "popular contemporary" of Winslow Homer.

Born in New Jersey in 1948, Crane spent five years as an Air Force pilot before succumbing to the artistic pull in 1975.

Over the years, Crane's reputation as an artist grew as his paintings and marketing skills developed.

Crane paints in transparent watercolor on paper, which he describes as "a beautiful medium with soft tonalities. There are few hard edges." Most of his pieces depict the rural landscape of America. Crane says his paintings are often of places he has visited and enjoyed: farms, ranches, churches, abandoned vehicles.

The painting that eventually pushed him into the big time was "Heartland Legacy," released in 1987. "It was probably his all-time best work," Gail said. "It was so well-received. It just really … caught people's eyes."

While getting the book "Heartland Legacy" published posed plenty of challenges, Gail said writing her husband's story came easy to her. "There was no effort in that," she said. "That was blissful."

While his wife was thrilled with the idea of bringing his life to book form, Crane admits he was less enthusiastic. "I didn't think I was quite ready for it," he said. "I feel that my best stuff is still to come."

Still, he's pleased with the outcome and found the process engaging. Crane worked closely with printers to ensure that all 168 images in the book accurately reflect the color in his original paintings. "I had to learn a whole lot," he said. "It's actually kind of fun to do … however, 168 of them is not that fun."

Early in production of the book, the Cranes decided to release it during the South Dakota Festival of Books, held in Deadwood in late September. As that date loomed in the future, Gail admits to a few stressful deadline moments. But the reaction from readers and fans has made it all worth it.

"It has hit the target. It is more than we could have hoped for," Gail said. "People are just so excited."

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com