Growing up ranching, livestock inspires much of my imagery. I render animals in portrait situations, personifying them in a manner sometimes confrontational, sometimes as a casual conversation or a glimpse into a candid, relatable moment.
I constantly back up as I paint, assuring that painterly strokes of amplified oil colors are assembled in a way to read realistically from across a room. I focus on creating a fairly life-like image that transforms as a viewer approaches it, surprising them as they realize that what first appeared detailed & "real" is actually an arrangement of abstract components: shapes, colors and textures. For this reason, my work is best seen in person, as photographs display only a midpoint between this dichotomy of realism and expressionism. Seeing viewers experience it thrills me, and hopefully, causes them to stop & look more closely at the next abstracted piece they see.
I believe “interesting is better than exact,” and when I honestly pour out what’s inside me, it often engages viewers to feel something more than an image- it’s behind or beyond the brushstrokes: an idea or attitude I did or didn’t intend, or my joyful connection to God as I celebrate His creation with color and light. "To have talent is no credit to its owner," CM Russell said. Working in intense sessions, I create within the timeframe of paint malleability, as once the paint dries, I’m ready to move on to my next idea.
It’s a blessing to make a living on my art, but I’d still paint even if I never made another dime on it; it’s who I am.
I've always created. Spending long days in the saddle as a child, I would "make pictures" by framing the landscape and livestock with my hands, long before I learned it was a composition tool.
Born in Sheridan, Wyoming, I was raised in Montana (and later Wyoming) in a family who ranched in the "old ways." We spent summers in Montana settings reminiscent of CM Russell paintings, with a mess-wagon, tents and teepees and a rope corral. Being immersed in nature, far from modern distractions, I learned to study and appreciate the world around me. I've always loved animals, and livestock figures prominently in both my memories and my paintings.
My lack of formal art training- a year and a half of junior college in the 80's- is supplemented with occasional workshops or classes, constant study of my surroundings, and learning from artist friends. My husband, Terry, and I have been married 33 years and have two talented, grown children and a wonderful daughter-in-law, who all make us very proud. We live at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains near the Montana line in Dayton, Wyoming. I believe painting is an activity everyone should try, and I teach fun, two-hour workshops to share the fun of painting with community members in Wyoming and Montana, and as far away as Arizona and Zambia, Africa.
I'm honored when people buy my work and take it to faraway places; my paintings hang in private & corporate collections in most of the United States, as well as Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, England, Germany, France, Ireland, Japan, Pakistan, Scotland and Zambia-six continents! It's an even bigger honor when people who live near the places I paint want to hang my work on their walls because it means the painting is saying something beyond what they see every day.
2018-2020 Guest Art Instructor- I provided supplies and instruction to several groups with the Amy Ringholz Art Supply award, including Wyola Elementary School, Wyola, MT, and for the Sheridan County 4-H youth in Sheridan, WY.
2015 Art Instructor, Elijah Mission International- Zambia, Africa. I taught painting to beginners and professional artists during this life- changing trip.
2014, 2017 Guest Art Instructor, Tongue River Elementary, Ranchester, WY -One week of Art Instruction with students and staff, & follow-up plein air class at their summer history camp.
2013-Present: Sheridan Press Guest Columnist -I write a guest column for the "Scene" Arts Feature in our local paper, The Sheridan Press
2003-Present: Hans Kleiber Studio Museum Manager, Dayton, WY; I give tours of Kleiber's historical log cabin studio and area information to summer travelers. I also manage an artist in residence program there, and paint and display my work. This position gives me opportunity to meet and sell my work to people from all over the world.
2012-present: 2-hr Painting Class Instructor at: SAGE Community Arts (2012-2017), Sheridan, WY; Tongue River Valley Community Center; Gallery on Main, Dayton, WY; Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT; Crooked Line Studio, Billings, MT. I mix music, laughter and step-by-step painting instruction, creating a fun art experience for non-painters. My teaching introduces non-painters to art, and teaches me loads in the process. I've also taught Summer Art Camp and VBS.
2009 Trail of Painted Ponies- my "Crow Fair Pony" design was released and promptly sold out
2009 Art Mentor Tongue River Middle School G&T Program. I introduced color mixing and art elements to two sixth graders.
2022 "The Story of Art" documentary on Amazon Prime
July 2021 "Western Art Collector" "State of the Arts-Wyoming" feature
June 2021 "Western Art Collector" Women of Western Art feature
January 2021 "Cowboys & Indians Magazine" story on my art and childhood
Oct/Nov 2020 "Western Art Collector" my painting featured in The Brinton 101 story
June 2019 "Western Art Collector"
June 2018 "Western Art Collector"
May 2018 "American Art Collector"
March 2018 "Western Art Collector" Cowgirl Up! feature
March 2017 "Western Art Collector" Cowgirl Up! feature
Feb 2017 "Southwest Art Magazine" Cowgirl Up! feature
February 2016 "Western Art Collector" on the Cowgirl Up! Show in Arizona
Summer 2016 "Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine" featured my art and also my article about Gallery on Main
May 2016 "Western Art Collector" feature on Cowgirl Up! Invitational in Arizona
Jan. 2015 "Southwest Art Magazine" half-page feature for being TAM Competition Finalist
Dec. 2014 "The Artist's Magazine" Annual Art Competition Finalist for "Hereford Heifer"
Cover Art for Wyoming Stock Growers' Assoc.'s "Cow Country" magazine, Summer 2014 edition
Sprinter 2014 "Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine" Three-page spread on my life as an artist in 'Wyoming Woman' section
Summer 2012 "Wyovore" Magazine Two-page article about my art
Winter 2013 and Summer 2014 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine featured my photography
Numerous Varied Radio, Website, Blog and Print interviews and coverage with local news media
2024 Hold Your Horses, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2024 Honorable Mention, Cody Art League's Annual Community Art Show, Cody, WY, for "Point of Interest"
2024 Miniature Masterpieces, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2024 Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2023 Bighorn Rendezvous Exhibition & Quick Draw, The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY
2023 Hold Your Horses, Nat'l Invitational, Phippen Museum of Western Art, Prescott, AZ
2023 The Phippen's Miniature Masterpiece Show, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2023 Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2022 Solo Show, WYO Theater, Sheridan WY
2022 Brinton 101, Nat'l Invitational, The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY
2022 Hold Your Horses, Nat'l Invitational, Phippen Museum of Western Art, Prescott, AZ
2022 The Phippen's Miniature Masterpiece Show, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2022 Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2021 SAGE Nat'l Show, juried by Tim Lawson, SAGE gallery, Sheridan, WY
2021 Redefining Traditions, with Harper Henry, at Frame of Reference Fine Art, Whitefish, MT
2021 Hold Your Horses, Phippen Museum of Western Art, Prescott, AZ
2021 The Russell Show & Auction (August 21, 2021) CM Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT
2021 The Phippen's Miniature Masterpieces, Phippen Museum of Western Art, Prescott, AZ
2021 Waterworks Art Museum's Annual Art Auction, Miles City, MT (Aug-Sept)
2021 Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2020 235 Annual Small Works Show, Frame of Reference Gallery, Whitefish, MT
2020 The Brinton 101, Nat'l Invitational, The Brinton Museum
2020, July Hold Your Horses, Nat'l Invitational, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2020, Phippen Museum Miniature Masterpieces, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2020, The Russell First Strike Friday Auction, benefitting the CM Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT
2020, Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2020 Goodnight Barn Invitational, Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, Pueblo, CO
2019 Annual 235 Small Works Show, Frame of Reference, Whitefish, MT
2019 Brinton 101, Nat'l Invitational, The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY
2019 Her View of the West, Nat'l Invitational, Terakedis Gallery, Billings, MT
2019 Featured Artist, Art in the Beartooths, Carbon County Depot Gallery, Red Lodge, MT
2019 Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
First Place 2-D on Canvas, for "Lean on Me"
2019 Phippen Museum Miniature Masterpieces, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2019 Western Spirit Show, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY
Quick Draw Artist for live auction
2019 Goodnight Invitational, Sangre Cristo Art Center, Pueblo, CO
2019 Yellowstone Art Museum Auction 51, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
Opening Reception Quick Draw Artist
2018 The Brinton 101, Nat'l Invitational, The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY
2018 12-Squared, Small Works Invitational, Terakedis Fine Art, Billings, MT
2018 Annual 235 Small Works Show, Frame of Reference, Whitefish, MT
2018 Oil Painters of America Nat'l Exhibition, Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO
2018 Phippen Museum Miniature Masterpieces, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
2018 The Horse, Invitational, Ryniker-Morrison Gallery, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT
2018 Cowgirl Up! National Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2018 Western Spirit Show, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY
2018 YAM Auction 50, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
2018 Goodnight Invitational, Sangre De Christo Art Center, Pueblo, CO
2018 Red Bluff Western Art Show, Nat'l Juried Show, Red Bluff CA
2017 WY Wilderness Assoc. Annual Miniature Show & Sale, Expressions Gallery, Sheridan, WY
People's Choice for "Morning Bull Session"
2017 Cowgirl Up! Art From the Other Half of the West, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2017 Western Spirit Show, Nat'l Juried Show, CFD Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY
2016 The Brinton Museum's 4th Annual Small Works Show, Invitational, Big Horn, WY
2016 Horse Sense: Form & Function, Group Show, Tracy Miller Gallery, Manitou Spgs, CO
2016 4th Annual Small Works Show, Nat'l Invitational, The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY
2016 The Cattle Drive, Nat’l Invitational, Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2016 Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
2016 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition, Regional Juried Show, WY State Museum, Cheyenne, WY
2015 “Outstanding Acrylic,” Fine Art View’s BoldBrush Online Painting Competition, for "Zelma..."
2015 Goodnight Trail Show & Sale, Nat’l Invitational, El Pueblo Museum, Pueblo, CO
2015 Icons of the West, Nat'l Juried Show, Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT
2015 Texas National, Nat'l Juried Show, Stephen F Austin University Art Gallery, Nacogdoches, Texas
2015 Western Spirit Show, Nat’l Juried Exh., Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY
Best Miniature for "Feed Time"
2015 Yellowstone Art Museum's Art Auction 47; Nat’l Juried Show, Billings, MT
Quick Draw Artist for live auction
2015 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition, State Juried Show, Cheyenne, WY
2014 Finalist, The Artists’ Magazine’s Annual Art Competition, for Hereford Heifer
2014 WY Wilderness Assoc.’s "Celebrating Wyoming's Wilderness" Nat'l Juried Traveling Show
Best Painting award for "Near Moran Junction"
2014 "Scenes in the City" SAGE Gallery, Sheridan;
2nd Place for "Alley of the Rainbow"
2014 SAGE Nat'l Juried Show, Sheridan, WY;
"Best of Show" for "Aw, Ma"
2014 Icons of the West, Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT;
2014 Rocky Mountain Regional Juried Exhibition, Carbon County Depot Gallery, Red Lodge, MT;
1st Place (top honors) for "Saturday Brunch"
2014 Western Spirit Show, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
Quick Draw Artist for live auction
2014 Art Auction 46, Nat’l Juried Show, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT;
2013 Big West Arts Festival Director's Award for "Retirement," (purchase award for Sheridan College Permanent Collection & cash prize)
2013 Sheridan Parks & Pathways Nat'l Juried Show, Sheridan, WY;
1st Place for "Burgess Bridge, Kendrick" (purchased by Mayor of Sheridan)
2013 SAGE Nat'l Juried Show, Sheridan, WY;
1st Place for "Last Light on Littlehorn Road"
People's Choice for "Near Moran Junction"
2013 Railway National Juried Show, Depot Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
2nd Place for "Retirement"
2013 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition, Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
Purchase Award for "Sunday Morning Fellowship"
2013 Trail End Museum's Short Notice Invitational Show (not juried), Sheridan, WY;
People's Choice for "Carriage House"
2013 Western Spirit Show, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
2013 Red Bluff BG Art Show & Sale, Red Bluff, CA;
2012 SAGE Nat'l Juried Show, Sagebrush Art Center, Sheridan, WY;
2012 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition, Hynds Building, Cheyenne, WY;
2012 Railway Nat'l Juried Show, Depot Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
2011 SAGE Nat'l Juried Show, Sagebrush Art Center, Sheridan, WY;
1st Place for "Mario's Cedar Soldiers"
2011 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition; Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
Purchase Award for "Evening Cattle on Pass Creek"
2019 Cowgirl Up! Nat'l Invitational, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ First Place 2-D on Canvas, for "Lean on Me"
2017 WY Wilderness Assoc. Annual Miniature Show & Sale, Expressions Gallery, Sheridan, WY
People's Choice for "Morning Bull Session"
2015 Western Spirit Show, Nat’l Juried Exh., Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY
Best Miniature for "Feed Time"
2014 WY Wilderness Assoc.’s "Celebrating Wyoming's Wilderness" Nat'l Juried Traveling Show
Best Painting award for "Near Moran Junction"
2014 "Scenes in the City" SAGE Gallery, Sheridan;
2nd Place for "Alley of the Rainbow"
2014 SAGE Nat'l Juried Show, Sheridan, WY;
"Best of Show" for "Aw, Ma"
2014 Rocky Mountain Regional Juried Exhibition, Carbon County Depot Gallery, Red Lodge, MT;
1st Place (top honors) for "Saturday Brunch"
2013 Sheridan Parks & Pathways Nat'l Juried Show, Sheridan, WY;
1st Place for "Burgess Bridge, Kendrick" (purchased by Mayor of Sheridan)
2013 SAGE Nat'l Juried Show, Sheridan, WY;
1st Place for "Last Light on Littlehorn Road"
People's Choice for "Near Moran Junction"
2013 Railway National Juried Show, Depot Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
2nd Place for "Retirement"
2013 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition, Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
Purchase Award for "Sunday Morning Fellowship"
2013 Trail End Museum's Short Notice Invitational Show (not juried), Sheridan, WY;
People's Choice for "Carriage House"
2011 SAGE Nat'l Juried Show, Sagebrush Art Center, Sheridan, WY;
1st Place for "Mario's Cedar Soldiers"
2011 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition; Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, WY;
Purchase Award for "Evening Cattle on Pass Creek"
