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.