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| Our mission is to provide an opportunity for artists and professionals to share their skills and talents with the residents of Park County and the neighboring counties. We provide a location for classes, a meeting and gathering venue for educational interchange, as well as an exhibition gallery for artists' and students' work. |
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Being a painter of wildlife I usually work in-studio using reference photos, so when I get
the chance to paint plein air it is a refreshing change for me. I enjoy the challenge of finding a location, selecting a composition, and capturing the colors, textures,
and mood of a scene on site. Working with acrylics, which dry rapidly outside, forces me to keep my brush moving on the canvas and this spontaneity gives my plein air work
a distinctive freshness. The scenic vistas around Livingston offer an endless supply of inspiration and I feel blessed to be living here. To see more of Linda's paintings,
please visit: www.lindabarnsley.com |
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Susan Burrows Dabney's passion is the land-its beauty and bounty-whether out in the bitter cold
of the winter or the warmth and the rich colors of the rest of the year. "For me, the only way to paint such magnificence is to be set up outside with my easel, with the vista in front of me."
"Plein air painting is magical, dangerous, thrilling, quiet, and always influenced by whatever weather comes through. Everything changes all the time and it is my intention to capture the magic of it all," Dabney says.
"A plein air painter has to be ready to balance the wild ride that nature surprises one with in order to stay connected to that process."
"My passion and purpose is to capture the land at its best-being worked. The energy of that magnificent struggle-the give and the take, the sweet and the bittersweet-is what I try to capture in my landscape paintings."
Dabney has a studio in the Emerson Cultural Center and lives in Bozeman.
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Three years ago - I was introduced to oils and plein air painting
after 18 years as an illustrator in watercolor. This change of direction was a catalyst for a whole new body of work.
Painting on location - I'm faced with the directness of nature and the immediate impression of each subject. There will always be conditions
beyond my control - but it's that "element of surprise" I love. A new love is floral painting. Like plein air painting - part of the fun is the chase.
Trying to capture the fleeting gesture of a flower before it's gone. |
Jerolyn Dirks earned a degree in fine arts from the University of California at Los Angeles. During her career in illustration - she was known for images created for PetSmart stores, Iams Corporation and The American Humane Association. Her work is in several corporate and private collections such as PetSmart Corporation, Phoenix, Winsford Corporation, Los Angeles and Huntwick Consulting Group, Houston. She has lived and painted for the past two decades on a small farm north of Bozeman, Montana. In 2007 the artist switched to oils and plein-air painting. For several seasons - Dirks studied landscape painting with Idaho artist Robert Moore. She has also studied still life and floral painting with artists Jeff Legg and Elizabeth Pruitt Robins. Jerolyn Dirks has enjoyed several successful one-woman shows at Hole in the Wall Gallery in Ennis, Montana, Old Main Gallery in Bozeman, Montana and with the Western Masters show in Great Falls during C.M Russell week. 
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Loretta is intrigued by the gentle movement of beach and meadow grass;
how light, color, and atmosphere visually affect natural rhythmic qualities. She spent her childhood exploring beaches, salt marshes, and boatyards in
Connecticut. Following her art education in Boston, she moved to Nantucket Island, in Massachusetts, and discovered nature's studio outside by creating
pastel and oil landscape paintings. Loretta lives in Bozeman, where she continues to study the waterways and natural landscapes, along with her husband a
and two high school aged children. |
A fluid approach to movement in nature is applied with multiple layers of rich transparent colors and textures, creating beautiful subtle transitions. Natural earth and mineral pigments are handmade, creating a rich color palette. Originally influenced by the colors and techniques of Master French Impressionists, and Post-Impressionists, Loretta's landscape paintings express the essence and beauty of nature with a Fauvist's sense of color. Domaszewski has a BFA from Tufts University and the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts, and a K-12 Art Teaching Certificate from Brandeis University. She is a former art teacher at Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts, Bozeman High School, and Beall Park Art Center. Loretta's artwork has been shown in Boston, Nantucket, New York City, San Francisco, Connecticut, New Mexico, and Montana. She is known locally for her nature inspired oil paintings, murals, and artist in residencies in Montana public schools. Art classes for children and adults are taught in her Loretta Fine Art Studio, at the Emerson Cultural Center, outdoor plein air oil painting workshops, at Bozeman Lodge and Hillcrest Assisted and Senior Living Facilities, the Bozeman Cancer Support Community, at REACH for the Developmentally Disabled Community, and the HIKE. BIKE. ART. CAMP. 
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The joy of painting "plein air" is laying down a scene with quick broad,
colorful brush strokes, foregoing the typical building up of a painting.... in other words "ala prima." Sometimes sessions on location last from a few
hours to the better part of a day, depending on the light and weather. Once back in the studio, I add a few final touches to complete a plein air painting.
There is excitement in attempting to capture a scene in time. I have traveled to Tuscany, Maine, Block Island and other beautiful places with friends and teachers on plein air trips. |
As a recent transplant to Clyde Park, Montana, my realm of view and subject matter have changed. I love Montana, and want to capture the people, the landscape, and the scenes, (I love the big sky here!). 
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Parke Goodman holds a deep respect for the long held traditions of representational art.
As a painter of western landscapes, Parke is strongly influenced by the Hudson River School. His objective is not to copy what he sees, but to capture the emotion.
The result is a sensitive depiction of nature, best described as a romantic landscape. |
Plein air sketches help Parke to capture the light and beauty of the Northern Rockies in his shimmering landscapes. He uses the sketches and his photographs to create larger studio pieces. The final objective is the poetic portrayal of color and atmosphere. A self-taught artist, Parke is looking forward to this Plein Air event, because he doesn’t paint outside as much as he would like to. He and his wife Bonnie have shared their studio/gallery, Mordam Art, in downtown Livingston since 1997. 
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Born and raised in Eastern Montana, I got my formal art training
at Montana State University Bozeman and California State University Fresno, most recently teaching and directing the Art Galleries at CSUF.
I traveled much of the world exploring cultures and exhibiting my conceptual interactive installations regarding barriers to knowledge resulting
from self-made barriers, political barriers, language barriers, racial barriers, etc., and the growth of society as a result of overcoming those
barriers and sharing and processing that knowledge. This exploration is currently reflected in my oil paintings, oil pastels, and encaustics of
the colorful skies, storms, sunsets, and landscapes found in the Western USA. As I child, I spent considerable time "memorizing" these pockets of beauty.
It is now time for me to express these childhood memories in my artwork. I believe this interaction with nature continually expresses who we are as a people.
Self-made barriers, political barriers, language barriers, racial barriers, etc. are erased when viewing nature. In this time of world unrest, it is
comforting to involve viewer interaction without barriers. And, in this time of my life, it is comforting to be able to live in such a beautiful location
and paint whenever and wherever I choose. I feel very fortunate to be back in Montana!
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I was born in Billings, Montana in1950, moved to Great Falls in my teens,
and to Gardiner in 1965. The beginning of my senior year, I was kicked out of school, my parent's house, and really had no place to go. A compassionate
friend named Rob Christie, took me under wing, helped me petition the school board to return to school and graduate that fine spring in 1968. I lived with
him for almost 6-months. He opened my eyes to the world of art. Rob had graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, and gave me creative liberty to his studio,
patiently guiding me on color theory and the fundamentals of oil painting. We spent hours at night discussing art and exploring art history. He was the first
person to really inspire my creative spirit.
After two years in the Army and a tour in Vietnam, I returned to Gardiner, got a summer job as a fire lookout on Mt. Holmes in Yellowstone Park. That fall, I
started college at the University of Montana in Missoula, and eventually graduated with honors, receiving my BFA in 1978. My concentration of study was drawing,
watercolor and intaglio printmaking. I spent three summers on the fire lookout and ultimately became a seasonal wildland firefighter. I spent ten summers working
for the National Park Service as the Yellowstone Helitack Foreman, fighting fires in the park and throughout the West, chasing helicopters, and living the good life
that ultimately became a career of fun, travel and adventure.
My art studies at the University of Montana always stayed with me and provided the foundation for my artwork. During my travels I always carried a sketchpad and
watercolor kit, drawing and painting when time would allow. Now, after a 32-year career with the Department of the Interior, I'm at a new crossroad in my life where
painting and art can once again be my passion and avocation.
I'm not quite sure I have a particular style. I just love to paint; it's an act of doing. The more I do, the more I learn. I'm at a time in my life, that I just
feel blessed that I can take the time and let my creative juices flow. Through the years and continual travel, I still think Livingston, Paradise Valley, Gardiner,
and the Greater Yellowstone area are the prettiest places on earth. It always feels like home. What better place for plein air painting. |
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Art has always been my passion -
from my initial introduction to the art cart in first grade. In college, I studied fine art, design, and education.
After graduation, I moved to the Adirondack Mountains to indulge my love of the outdoors. There, I painted from my
kayak and hiked with my easel. Painting outdoors was a perfect combination of learning, adventure, art and nature and
became (and still is!) my obsession. Now, I’m fortunate enough to live in Montana, on the bank of the Yellowstone River
overlooking Yellowstone National Park, where I can study dramatic landscapes and amazing wildlife right out the windows
of my studio. Luckily, my obsessive love of plein air painting, still pulls me outside too!
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Statement coming soon!
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Statement coming soon! |
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Color, freshness and energy are my ultimate
goals when I paint, plus a few broken rules thrown into the mix. My paintings express how I feel about any subject, whether
I am painting in the studio, or trying to capture the great outdoors. |
I was fortunate enough, about 8 years ago, to find a great art teacher here in Bozeman and a wonderful group of women artists. Wandering down the never ending road of discovery and experiment art showed me a new way of seeing. I am happiest at my easel and when I get out of my head and into my oils. 
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After retiring and returning to Montana in 2007,
I have had the opportunity to concentrate more fully on my art. Two subjects are of most interest to me - faces and places.
Working outdoors with friends has given me the opportunity to study and observe the remarkable natural environment that we are privileged to enjoy in Montana. |
Capturing the "character" of the subject matter is of particular interest to me. I try to capture the character of a person reflected in his/her face, or the "character" of the built environment or the landscape. 
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Steve is an Idaho native, is a self taught wildlife, landscape and portrait artist.
His paintings are the fruit of rigorous contact with the source. The landscapes he paints are the slopes he has climbed and the valleys he has descended. Many
of the animals are those he has watched and photographed in their own remote habitations. Steve's work is an articulate expression of his love for the "delicate
weave of extremes" that is the West. Steve finds individual purpose and challenge in his work, allowing the paintings to "speak for themselves" to people who view them. |
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Robert Spannring paints landscapes with an interest in eliciting an emotional response from the viewer. "The process or act of
painting is a personal experience for many painters, and is a self-absorbed occupation. This creative process is very rewarding for my soul and spirit. Perhaps some art I create will invoke, inspire, or
simply present a question that engages the viewer's imagination and captures an emotion only known to that viewer personally." |
Spannring's recent focus has been on plein air, painting "in the open air". Working in plein air provides Spannring with the opportunity to observe color relationships and to gain an understanding of how light describes shapes and forms. "I have tried to paint certain places, capture a sense of place, a moment in time, by the human eye and a steady hand." 
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David Swanson works as a full-time artist in oils, watercolor and charcoal. He and his family have lived in Livingston, Montana for over 10 years. He has a BFA from Montana State University, and has
done artist in residencies and workshops in Park County. Before committing to fine art fulltime and moving to Livingston, Swanson worked for many years as a professional singer-songwriter, musician and
recording artist, both in Chicago and Los Angeles, and as an architectural illustrator. He has exhibited frequently in Livingston and Bozeman, as well as Billings, Helena, Missoula, Cody, Jackson, Chicago
and Santa Fe over the years, and is represented by Betsy Swartz Fine Art. Swanson currently has a traveling exhibition of paintings about railroad workers titled "Sweat and Steel", which opened at the
Livingston Depot Museum on May 29, 2010, and will be touring the state into 2012. He also paints plein air, and a wide variety of subjects--architectural, figurative, landscape and portrait--in his Livingston studio. |
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My husband and I have lived in Montana since 1981, most of that time in Paradise
Valley. We have always loved the magnificent scenery of this state and all it has to offer. |
After experimenting with weaving and pottery, I decided to get my creative juices flowing by giving oil painting a chance. Plein air painting is the most rewarding experience, I love being out there, capturing the landscape as I see it! I have been very fortunate to study with some of the best western plein air painters over the past 10 years. All of the following are wonderful, talented teachers: Jim Wilcox, Matt Smith, Dan Young Ralph Oberg, John Potter, Kenn Backhaus, Jim Lamb, and Livingston's own Aaron Schuerr. I prefer to paint small, so that I'm able to finish the piece on site, because of that, the paintings have a fresh feel. My focus is on landscapes, but I will retreat to my studio and work on a still life when the weather is ugly! I paint regularly with a group of plein air painters that belong to the Montana Institute of the Arts. In the winter, I paint with another plein air group from the Marco Island Art League in Florida. We all have a good time, and sometimes come up with a great painting! 
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Quite simply, I love to paint. I cannot not paint.
The process of building a painting from the design and preliminary sketches to putting down those final hits of light, when all goes well,
gives me a true sense of accomplishment.
The subjects that grab my attention are common, ordinary, everyday things. Painting an ordinary scene in a fresh way is a challenge and
one that I enjoy. Old trucks seem to find their way into my paintings quite often as well as animals of all kinds...especially horses.
Painting and all that surrounds it is something I really look forward to. It has become a huge part of who I am. |
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"On days when the weather is cooperative you'll find me outdoors painting the
landscapes of our beautiful state. I look for scenes that evoke feeling, the interplay of light, color, and subject; cattle in a mountain clearing; the
contrast of light and shadows on a grassy hillside; sunlight shining through trees; hay stacked in a rancher's field; the splendor of a tree lined riverbank.
Successful paintings bring back memories of those places." |
During a thirty year career in medicine, time was borrowed for a love of art. Now, after retirement, the passion for painting is pursued fulltime through workshops, study, and practice. I have paintings juried into local galleries, art museum auctions, personal collections, national and regional contests including Montana Women in the Visual Arts at the Emerson this fall. 
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Elene Weege resides in the Bitterroot Valley, near Stevensville, Montana. She enjoys and paints landscapes in oils and pastels
and has fallen in love with plein air painting. "The excitement is in the color, the light and the texture of the scene" she noted.
Through exploration of method and ground, color and light, I want to express and share a compelling scene at an ideal moment. Join me in my artful journeys!
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Painting is a means to escape the ordinary everyday details which can encompass my days.
To create something beautiful for someone to respond to.
When I create a composition, hold a brush, mix a color, place the paint on the canvas, my world becomes full of possibilities.
Since I was a child, I have had a drive to create. The challenge has always been, and continues to be, finding the necessary tools and practicing with those tools to be
able to transform an ordinary object or event into a beautiful interpretation for the viewer to enjoy.
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AaronSchuerr, a signature member of the Pastel Society of America,
is a dedicated plein-air painter based in Livingston, Montana. Working in both oil and pastel, he brings a quiet intimacy and sensitive rendering
of light to the varied landscapes of the Rocky Mountain West. He is represented by Montana Trails Gallery and Betsy Swartz Fine Art Consulting in Bozeman, Montana,
as well as Legacy Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona. |
Aaron began his studies at The Art Institute of Chicago and later attended an art college in Scottland. As experienced instructor, Aaron offers several plein air workshops each year. We are grateful for his generous offer to give a demonstration Monday morning during the 2010 Plein Air on the Yellowstone! "Livingston is a fantastic place for an artist. I often walk out of the studio, take one look at the Absaroka Mountains to the south, and load up my field kit. The road south follows the Yellowstone River into Paradise Valley. To the east the Absarokas run uninterrupted to Yellowstone National Park. Steep and dramatic, they are everything mountains aspire to. This valley holds a lifetime of ideas for an artist." Aaron's work can be viewed at www.aaronschuerr.com.  |
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Friedland was most recently awarded Best of Show for Landscapes at the Icons of
the West Show at the Dana Gallery in Missoula Montana. In 2008 he won Best of Show, National Award of Excellence winner of the 17th Annual Oil Painters of America
National Exhibition and was inducted as Signature Member in 2003. In 2007 he won Best Painting by a signature member at the Central Regional show of OPA. 2009 Howard
was selected to be a member of the Board of Directors of that prestigious organization. He has been featured in: American Artist Magazine; in the Master Painters of
the World section of International Artists Magazine; American Art Collector; and Fine Art Connoisseur magazines. His work is regularly selected for the C. M. Russell
Museum Auction and The Russell the auction to benefit the C.M. Russell Museum exhibitions in Great Falls, MT. He has painted, taught and exhibited in France, Italy,
England, Spain, and Portugal and in six U.S states.
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| Our regular hours are Tuesday through Friday 11 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 11 AM to 4 PM |
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| 119 South Main Street, Livingston, Montana 59047 Tel. 406.222.5222 admin@livingstoncenter.org |
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| ©2008Livingston Center for Art and Culture All Rights Reserved |