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Jack Dykstra
Artist Statement Painting is a major part of my life resulting in AA and BA degrees in Commercial Art; exhibiting work in galleries, museums, and juried venues; as well as professional experience in graphics, illustration and art direction, along with account management and creative work at one of the Northwest’s top ad agencies. My formal art education instilled in me many of the art disciplines I continue to use today. Whether painting on location or in-studio, it is the excitement of the creative process that, I hope, results in a painting, that communicates to the viewer. Favorite subjects include landscape, floral, railroad/industrial, and non-objective abstract. Recent Accomplishments: Juried shows with Montana Watercolor Society 2018 National Watermedia; Hockaday Museum of Art 2018 Plein Air Paint Out. Featured Artist Mar 2017:Gallery 16, Great Falls; Stillwater Gallery, Whitefish in June. Shows: Montana Watercolor Society at Western Art Week, March, Great Falls. Hockaday Museum of Art Member Salon 2013 thru 2018. Work represented: Persimmon Gallery, Big Fork Stillwater Gallery (Whitefish Pottery), Whitefish. Hockaday Museum of Art (seasonal) Commissions considered. Whitefish, Montana [email protected] |
Shimi McKenzie
Artist Statement I have always been a rather frustrated artist at heart. As a kid I didn’t have the patience or the time to devote to art although the desire was there. I was raised on a cattle ranch/ walnut orchard until I was 13. In my youth, westerns were the big deal on television and I was a horse crazy kid. All this has led me to seek out these subjects in my art. I liked watercolor paintings, so in 2009 Steve, my husband, gave me a beginner watercolor set in a desperate attempt to find the perfect Christmas gift. Little did he realize that the purchase of more art supplies would become such a passion. My first work was abysmal; my wonderful mother in law was my only fan. She faithfully hung up every card and painting I gave her, much to my embarrassment as my work improved. My toes would curl as I would enter her house, walls festooned with bad art in Dollar Store frames. I was fortunate to find a very patient mentor and then one day I retired, and started to paint more. As I racked up the miles on my brushes, I started to received more compliments and found myself showing my paintings to relative strangers. Now, when folks ask, I answer yes! I am an artist! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to capture a likeness in a portrait, the action of a bucking horse, or the expression in a favorite dog’s eyes, but I think I have been able to do that. I love to paint animals in motion, anything with a western bent, and portraits with strong light. What motivates me to paint and show my work is the same motivation that drives a chef to make wonderful food: to feed the soul, not just to fill the stomach. I wish to evoke emotion, and a sense of curiosity with my paintings. |
Tammy Phillips
Artist’s Statement American watercolor artist Tammy Phillips grew up in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park, not far from where her ancestor and “cowboy painter” Charles Marion Russell had his cabin at Lake McDonald. Russell, known for chronicling everyday life in the Old American West, had a profound impact on Phillips. His legacy inspired her to record the beauty of her surroundings, filling her watercolors with people she encountered on her many travels across Asia, Europe and North America. Painting from a large archive of photographs in her studio, Philips begins each piece with a detailed drawing before mixing colors onto the paper. Sometimes, she’ll add collage papers, stamping and lifting to enhance her work. After living in Alaska for most of her adult life, Tammy has recently moved back to Montana and is looking forward to capturing the area in her paintings. Signature member of Alaska Watercolor Society, member of National Watercolor Society, American Watercolor Society and Fairbanks Arts Association. Tammy exhibits her work and is represented by Agora Gallery, NYC and exhibits at Going To The Sun Gallery, Whitefish, MT. Phillips Studio & Gallery Tammy Phillips web |
