Studio and gallery of famed Flint Hills artists Judith and Ken Mackey. Oil paintings by Judith Mackey. Mackey, considered by many to be the original Flint Hills painter, is a plein air artist who has worked for more than 40 years to promote Western Art and Chase County, Kansas. Her work came into prominence with the publication of PrairyErth, the epic description of Chase County by author William Least Heat-Moon. Her painting of a prairie thunderhead was chosen as the cover art for the book. the cover. Ken Mackey makes handmade boot jacks, hat racks and items using horns/antlers. Cowboy and Indian artifacts adorn the studio, a reminder of Chase County's place in western history.