After a special week of exploring Montana with my family, it was time to give my brain a walk in the creative Park County! As I mentioned in the Part I to this blog, I applied back in February and was accepted for a position as one of forty artists to come to Livingston, Montana and participate in this year’s Plein Air Painting on the Yellowstone 2023.

This event is hosted by the Livingston Center for Art and Culture, and many generous sponsors help put on this great experience! This was the fifteenth annual year of the event.

A Little Bit About the Event:

My parents are certainly one of the main reasons nature is such a big part of my life. Last year, they traveled to Paradise Valley, Montana for the summer and stayed near Livingston. When walking downtown one day on their vacation, they stopped in one of the galleries in search of an original painting to gift me. They picked out the most amazing piece by Wendy Marquis titled “Airstream Dream”, and upon purchasing realized that Wendy had painted the piece en plein air during the 2022 painting week.

My parents came home and immediately told me all about it, making sure I knew I was eligible to apply.

I applied this year and earned a spot. It was a dream come true for me and was really happening! One challenge and goal I have always had was to paint out west and here my opportunity was, standing right in front of me.

The week kicked off with a nice meet-and-greet dinner hosted by the Gillespie’s, who reside along the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley. We got to meet all of the other artists and sponsors, and it was a relaxing evening!

My First Submission Piece: Run of the Mill

Our family vacation was so fun for the week but I was eager to find my painting spots and get started! While it was never a concern for me to win or gain awards during this experience, I did want to make sure and give it my all as far as letting my creativity wander and find itself on canvas.

The Yellowstone River runs straight through Park County and Paradise Valley, so there were plenty of public fishing access points to set up and paint water views with mountains. For some reason, however, my heart felt drawn to find a creek rather than the river. Throughout the Absaroka and Gallatin mountain ranges, there are canyons that a water source often travels and makes it start from. The weekend was starting out rainy, so I got in my car and started driving in search of that “wow moment” where I could look up and see a creek with mountains in the backdrop.

I noticed a canyon from U.S. 89 that just seemed special; so I told myself, “I have to find a way to make it over there.” I waited a while and turned off a road named Mill Creek Road. Turns out that Mill Creek Road would take me straight to the canyon I wanted to experience!

I drove until pavement ended and gravel began. The views didn’t stun me, so I turned around. Gravel roads are very common in the area but this one seemed narrow at first look. I headed into the small town of Pray afterwards and noticed a small store that said “Gallery” on the sign. I parked, walked in, and was so surprised when in front me were paintings after paintings, from floor to ceiling. They were beautiful! I started talking to the owner and told him why I was here, and that I was on the search for a spot to paint. His first response to me was, “Well, have you checked out Mill Creek?” I knew when he said that, that Mill Creek was meant to be for me. I told him I stopped at the pavement ending. He encouraged me to keep going, that the road was an easy drive. I jumped back in the car, and headed that way again!

A few miles ahead of where I had stopped driving the first time laid the scene that I was shooting for in my mind. A bend in the creek with beautiful, flowing, shallow water; willows and sage brush; river rock beds with all sorts of color values; and a stunning set of mountains overlapping. I found my spot, and it was known as Mill Creek!

The first painting day for the competition was Sunday, August 6. I headed out that morning and was able to get started painting! It is hard to explain how serene of a feeling it is to paint alongside a creek out west. The humidity is almost non-existent compared to home (Georgia). The temperature was nice and cool, and I was able to set up behind a fallen tree with a great spot for my easel.

Painting here at Mill Creek just felt right! People were fly fishing around me, a group of blue-winged teal event lit in front of me on the water! It was so amazing. The thought definitely crossed my mind, though, of what I would have done if a bear showed up. I packed a sandwich for lunch and snacked right beside my work. It was so special to rely on nature for all of my color reference. Everything was so vibrant: the reflection of light on the water, the hues of green on the mountainsides, the way certain colors showed up on the river rocks, I could go on. A true dream.

Painting en plein air is a skill to have and work towards growing. For me, my plein air experience before this trip was strictly from outdoor weddings that I have painted at. I have never painted a true landscape work en plein air before this, though. This was an amazing challenge that I learned a lot from!

I completed my piece at Mill Creek and was sad to be done there. I didn’t want to leave the scene, it felt like a connection to me! But on to the next as I had two pieces to submit.

When choosing the title for my first plein air painting, I wanted to give a nod to the location while also having a play on words. I painted the scene on larger canvas, 24×36″ and decided to title it: Run of the Mill.

I met a framer in downtown Livingston and quickly gained a new friend: Avery of Avery’s Art Worx. I had not packed or shipped a frame for my paintings because I knew damage was too much of a risk. I asked Avery if he could frame this painting for me if I finished it early enough. He kindly agreed to be up to the challenge, and was able to custom frame my first ever plein air painting! I received it in perfect condition the day before turning into the gallery, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Avery and Susan are wonderful people. I believe we touched each other’s hearts by working together and made new friendships through the experience.

Run of the Mill – 24×36″ Gallery Wrapped Canvas in Acrylic, with Gold Floater Frame by Avery’s Art Worx of Livingston, MT available to purchase online.

Painting Teepees En Plein Air: Fixer Upper

My second location to paint was a spot that we had ridden by multiple times already to get to our cabin! I knew it was unique and my mind kept going back to the subject: Teepees.

A teepee is a portable tent typically structured by large, long poles and covered in skins/canvas cloths. Native Americans created the form of architecture and these are prevalent out west, both now and in history. Emigrant Fishing access is one of many public fishing access spots in Paradise Valley. It just so happened that the neighbors residing by this access have two large teepee structures in their field. Theirs, however, are not covered in cloth; only the structural poles are remaining.

I arrived and set up in the fishing access parking lot with a view of the teepees. I noticed a bright orange barn in the background which felt enticing, so I knew I wanted my perspective to include this as well.

I set up with this in mind and began the work! I blocked in the clouds before they changed too quickly on me. The day was stormy with hunks of blue sky in between. After completing my first painting on stretched canvas, I gave myself a new challenge for the week and set out for the rest of my paintings to be birch panel. Birch panel is a wood panel to paint on as opposed to fabric canvas. The panel can be porous if not gessoed, so I was able to work in layers of acrylic better to create rough texture. I had a blast painting in this format!

My parents stopped by to check out the teepee painting and so did a mother and son from Hawaii. They were so kind and loved watching the plein air experience. We invited them to the gala event to see my final pieces and they did stop by! It just so happened that the devastations of Maui begin the day after we met this family. Maui was definitely on my mind throughout the week.

When I was almost done with my second piece I kept noticing a bird pitching on one of the highest poles of the teepee structure. I couldn’t help but imagine that she was sizing up her next new home in the teepee! I painted the scene on 14×18″ Birch Panel and decided to title it: Fixer Upper.

Fixer Upper – 14×18″ Gallery Birch Panel in Acrylic, with Stained Edges available to purchase online.

Farmers Market Fun

Mid-week the LCAC encouraged plein air artists to set up at the Livingston Farmer’s Market and paint en plein air there. I met a nice man named Mike Kaye, who owns High Ground Farm Booth. He kindly let me borrow some veggies for a colorful still-life! This was a great evening of live music and meeting new people. I ran into Cassi Geiser, a journalist for the local paper, and she included me in a special write-up about the plein air week over at the Livingston Enterprise. You can check that out here!

Livingston Farmer’s Market – 14×18″ Gallery Birch Panel in Acrylic, with Stained Edges available to purchase online.

My Second Submission Piece: Something Old, Something New

As I mentioned before, it was almost overwhelming to choose what scenes to paint on the trip because the possibilities were endless. I knew I had two pieces completed at this point which was the maximum amount to turn in for judging, but at the same time I wanted to do so many!

Emigrant Peak is one of the more popular mountain peaks in Paradise Valley, and it just happens to be my mom’s absolute favorite! Our air bnb had a clear view from the base of the peak, so I worked on an exclusive larger piece here and there for my mom throughout our two weeks. For the competition, though, I was limited on the square inch total to submit. With Run of the Mill being so large, the next submission painting had to be small.

It was definitely a God-wink that my parents ended up connecting with a local rancher who was kind enough to let me check out his property. I found a beautiful spot there and started working on a painting which would end up being my second submission piece!

The view was from the base of Emigrant peak, with an old plow situated on a hill in a bed of knapweeds and wildflowers. It is so fascinating to me that with the lack of humidity out west, so many items stand the test of time. This plow was once a working piece of equipment for the rancher and his family. Between the plow and the mountain was a neighboring landowner’s field with newer irrigation on it. I thought the layering of an ages-old mountain, new farmland, and an ages-old plow was so intriguing. Old and new coexisting.

I painted my birch panel in cadmium red and started blocking in the blue toned mountain range. Next came layers of taupes, greens, and browns for a gorgeous western scene. The lilac-colored wildflowers were just the cherry on top.

Something Old, Something New – 14×18″ Gallery Birch Panel in Acrylic, with Stained Edges available to purchase online.

Wrapping up the Week

What an exciting week of creating and exploring! I spent so much time driving around and soaking in the views and inspiration to take home in my heart. I was sad to be running out of time, but that gave me a reason to keep creating when I got home!

I had my two submission pieces completed and dropped them off at a local photographer, Rob Park Photo, to get some high quality images for print-making in the future. After the pieces were photographed, I dropped off the Run of the Mill painting as I mentioned earlier to Avery’s Art Worx for framing, and stained the edges of Something Old, Something New in a gray wood stain which looked great on the birch panel!

The pieces had to be dropped off early Friday morning for judging and the Gala was Saturday! I had multiple canvases shipped to our air bnb, so I started packing those and had them shipped back home. After two special weeks of quality time with my parents, we relaxed and soaked in our last few days.

Saturday evening we attended the Gala to kick off the Plein Air Exhibit, and it was such a fun evening! I really enjoyed making new friends with some of the local artists. Some participated in the plein air event and others came to the gala to support. Being that there were forty participating artists, it was so refreshing to see different creative perspectives of the same valley in Montana. I enjoyed seeing so many oil paintings, as I have never tried my hand at oil. As soon as I came home, I bought a starter pack of oil paints and am going to give it a try soon!

There were multiple awards given out from the judges in different categories at the gala: best sky, landscape, floral, etc. along with a First, Second, and Third place. The gallery had voting boxes set out at the Gala for a People’s Choice Award, where anyone could stop by and vote on their favorite piece until September 9 when the exhibit ended.

After the exhibit was over, I was so honored to discover that my larger piece, Run of the Mill, won the People’s Choice Award! Such exciting news! I am so grateful to know that locals and visitors to Livingston took the time throughout the month to come in and vote on my piece. A humble thank you to all who voted!!! To know that my work touched viewers is the most rewarding feeling as an artist.

We headed home the day after the Gala and needless to say I was so excited to get home and tell Rhett all about the trip! This trip was such a time of renewal for me and my creativity. To go and spend a week creating, surrounded by scenes I love most, was pivotal for me.

This gave me the opportunity to create out of desire instead of creating for “work.” I wasn’t worried about my piece selling or doing the best, I was just focusing on the energy and feelings that nature was inspiring me with at the moment. From the smell of the trees, to the natural sound of flowing water, to marveling at how God formed so many mountains– it was all so thrilling.

This trip was a confidence booster for me. It taught me that I need to step out of my comfort zone, that I can do things I never thought I could as long I give myself a push. When things are uncomfortable, growth happens. It was hard to leave home for a week, but I blocked that time out to focus on growth during a irreplaceable opportunity. If there was ever a time for me to pursue my dream of painting out west, I knew it was now. And I did it. I accomplished one of my biggest goals with the support of my husband and family. And I will forever be grateful that God saw fit to bless me with that.

What an amazing experience painting in Montana, thank you reading along about my journey! I will leave you with some verses that encourage me and feel like a reflection of how impactful this trip was for my life. I hope you can find encouragement in this blog to go and pursue your big goal. The chances are if it is on your heart, it’s there for a reason. Step out of your comfort zone, take action and pursue it with God’s love as the lead!

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness therof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

Psalm 24:1-2

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-12