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Big Sky Auction for the Arts

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

I’ve hardly had a chance to catch up on much needed sleep since Art Week in Great Falls. I had a pretty good show and enjoyed seeing all the people I see only once a year!

Closely following Art Week in Great Falls though, is the Big Sky Auction for the Arts, this Thursday, March 22, 6:00pm at the Moonlight Basin Lodge. It would be great if you’d attend if you’re in the area!
Attached is my painting, “Goin’ Nowhere Fast” in clearer format, and also the great Mixie done for me for the show.

About the painting: Goin’ Nowhere Fast” is an oil, 14×18. I love the serendipity of nature! The seeds of these trees were lucky enough to be planted in the confines of this deserted old car. That has allowed the saplings shelter from the wind and the animals passing by. They probably also get more moisture than elsewhere from the runoff of this rusty old thing!

https://mixonium.com/mx/7261

#bigskyauctionforthearts #americana #oilpainting #oldvehicles

Posted in Americana, Auction for the Arts, Big Sky, Vehicles

The Golden Hour

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

I have an affinity for mule deer. They’re such beautiful and graceful creatures. I never tire of painting them. There also really is a golden hour, just before dusk, when the ambient light is saturated and golden. That’s what this painting is about.

This piece has a metal leaf background, which seems to work well with the subject, and my focus.

“The Golden Hour” is 12×12, and will be in my room at the Out West Art Show & Sale at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls, MT., beginning Wednesday night at 5:00, and running through Saturday. I hope to see you there! Room 176!

#oilpainting #wildlifepainting #metalleafinart #outwestartshow&sale

Posted in Animals, Figurative, Out West Art Show & Sale, Wildlife

Almost

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

I have done three pretty white, or neutral, tonal paintings to date this year, which is a change for me. The process has been interesting and educational, which is always good. It has been very difficult to get good photos of these paintings though, as every shadow on the white paint makes things appear radically different than in reality. It’s an all new learning curve!

This one is titled “Almost” or maybe “Almost Wet”, and is inspired by my trip to Nantucket last fall. “Almost” is an oil, 22×24.

This painting may be seen with many others in my room, 176 at the Out West Art Show & Sale at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls, MT. beginning next Wednesday, March 14!

#nantucket #dinghie #whitepainting #waterscape #outwestartshow

Posted in Out West Art Show & Sale, Waterscape, Waterscape

Juried into NOAPS National Show!

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

I was excited to get notice that my painting, “An Early Breakfast” was juried into the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) “Best of America Small Painting National Exhibition“! The show will be held at the Richland Fine Art Gallery in Nashville, TN. from April 30 – May 26, 2018.

“An Early Breakfast” is an oil, 12×16. It will be for sale there for 1800.00.

#nantucket #stilllife #fruitforbreakfast #noapsbestofamericasmallpaintingexhibition

Posted in National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society

Bathed in Gold

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

I always have fun painting a tipi, as it’s sort of a taboo subject for me. This one is only a few inches tall, and so seems quite allowable I think!

Autumn along the Missouri River can be spectacular when the cottonwoods transition from vital green to pure gold. This tipi was set up along the banks of the river, basking in the warm glow of reflected light.

“Bathed in Gold” is an oil painting, 20 x 20.

#tipi #landscapepainting #oilpainting #nativeamerican #missouririver #cottonwoods

Posted in Landscape, Native American, Out West Art Show & Sale, Waterscape

End of day palette

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

This is my palette, after a long day in the studio. It looks pretty clean and orderly! I’m working on a more graphic piece with defined colors, that’s why!

So is anyone else out there having trouble getting good, high res. images of your work? Lately, mine seem to be mushy and weird. I am losing the texture and clarity, and end up with this strange mushy look. It’s not a low resolution issue. Someone said it might be an iphoto problem?
Anyway, I have paintings to post, but am having trouble getting good images!

#gamblinpaint #oilpainting #fineart #paintpalette

Posted in My Studio

I Go to Nature to Be Soothed

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

I have about 10 paintings in the works now and not many finished, but this one is. I painted another of this same river at sunset a year ago, but the subject is compelling and I decided to do it again. (Sara, the composition is different, really!) My memories of this float on the Snake River still evoke such emotion. The last light coming through the trees in this beautiful country, the smell of the rich earth and the sound of the water were a magical combination. And, I was lucky enough to share this with special friends.

The title is from my heart. This painting is an oil, 16×20.

#landscape #waterscape #oilpainting #snakeriver #sunset

Posted in Landscape, Waterscape, Waterscape

Red Dog

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

The west was a wild place, and still can be! I’m guessing we’ve all heard the stories. Here, I’ve made up my own story, or at least part of it. You can fill in the details!

My model, Robert Culbertson, who I’ve painted quite a few times, runs a western art photo shoot in Kansas called American Frontier Productions. Check it out! He’s on FaceBook. Robert and many in his gang are great models!

Red Dog is an oil on board, 32 x 24.

#fineart #westernart #wildwest #portraitpainting #americanfrontierproductions #westernphotoshoot #cowboy

Posted in Figurative, Portrait, Western

An Early Breakfast

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

First, to blow off some steam, I have been fapped for the better part of two months. I know most of you don’t even know what that means. But, where we are, we have antiquated internet service with very little allotted band width usage – and no other options. It’s maddening, and so frustrating to try to really do anything on the internet! Just sayin’!

But back to why I’m here now, being on Nantucket for a week this fall was a visual overload. There was much to see that was so different from my home in Montana. And yet, what are the first few paintings I have done of that week? Still lifes! The light through Annie and Tim’s kitchen window in the morning was irresistible! (Actually, I do have a few Nantucket landscapes / waterscapes in the works as well!) Stay tuned.

This painting, “An Early Breakfast” is 12×16.

#nantucket #stilllife #fruitforbreakfast

Posted in Still Life

Portrait Society of America Competition Finalist!

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Laurie — No Comments ↓

How exciting! I was just informed that my painting “Mourning Dove” was selected as a Finalist in the “Outside the Box” category, in the 2017 National Members Only Competition! I am thrilled!

“Mourning dove” is 36″ x 24″ and is oil and gold leaf on a gessoed board.

Mourning Dove was the pen name of Christine Quintasket, an Interior Salish woman born in 1884 in Idaho. In 1904, she enrolled in the Fort Shaw Indian School, which was about 30 miles from Great Falls, Montana. In Montana, she witnessed the 1908 roundup of the last free-ranging bison herd, an event that had a profound effect on her. Soon thereafter, she began to develop the idea for a novel that combined traditional tribal culture with a romantic story, based around the epic buffalo roundup.

Her novel, Cogewea, the Half-Blood, (1927) was the first known published novel by a Native American woman. It explored the plight of the mixed blood (or “breed”), who lived in both white and Indian cultures. In the book, she described centuries-old traditions with the authority of her own first-hand knowledge and experiences.

#figurepaintng #oilpainting #portraitsocietyofamerica #nativeamerican #interiorsalishtribe #goldleafinart #americanwomenartists #portraitsocietyofamerica

Posted in Figurative, Native American, Portrait Society of America, Wildlife

Laurie Stevens

Current or Recent Events & Shows

National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society “Best of America Small Painting National Exhibition” at the Kirkland Gallery, Nashville, TN., April 30 – May26, 2018

Out West Art Show & Sale, March 14-17, 2018 at the Heritage Inn, Great Falls, Mt. I’m in Room 176!

Portrait Society of America 6×9:Limited Size, Unlimited Talent Mystery Art Sale, April 20, 2018 at the Art of the Portrait Conference in Washington, DC.

National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society Holiday Small Works Show, Nov. 13 – Dec. 30, 2017

Under a Vast Sky, the 2017 AWA Annual Master and Signature Members Show & National Juried Exhibition, at the Tucson Desert Art Museum, Oct 13 – Dec. 3, 2017

“Dissent” Show at Sparrow Gallery, Sacramento, CA. July 1 – August, 2017

“Gallery Night” at Frame of Reference Fine Art in Whitefish, MT.,July 6, 2017

Iron Horse Summer Art Social, Whitefish, MT. June 25, 2017

“First Strike Auction” March 17, 2017 C.M. Russell Museum https://cmrussell.org/the-russell-event/

2016 – Portrait Society of American Members Only Competition Winner – Landscape Division https://portraitsociety.org/

“Back to Basics” Painting Workshop in Big Sky, MT. – October 28-30, 2016

“2016 Annual AWA Member Show & National Juried Exhibition” – Sept. 23 to Nov. 14, 2016 https://americanwomenartists.org/news//

“Summer Art Social” at Iron Horse, Whitefish, MT. – June 25, 2016 www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/summer-art-social/

“Montana Painters Alliance Show” at the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell, MT. June 30, 2016 – August 31, 2016. http://www.hockadaymuseum.org/

I’m teaching a workshop called “Back to Basics: Considerations for Every Painter” at the C. M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, MT., April 29 – May 1, 2016 https://www.cmrussell.org/content/back-basics-considerations-every-painter-laurie-stevens/

“Auction for the Arts” at Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, MT. March 24, 2016 http://www.bigskyarts.org/

“Out West Art Show & Sale” at the Heritage Inn, Great Falls, MT. March 16-19, 2016 http://outwestartshow.com/

Guest Artist at Altamira Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ., 2015 http://www.altamiraart.com

“Traveling the West Art Show & Sale” at Southwest Gallery, Dallas, TX. – October 23-24, 2015 http://www.travelingthewestshow.com

“Boots Required!” at Bella Muse Gallery, Ogden, UT. – July 3 – August 31, 2015 http://www.bellamusegallery.com

“Summer Art Social” at Iron Horse, Whitefish, MT. – June 30, 2015 www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/summer-art-social/

The Dana Gallery “Icons of the West” Show, May 15 – June 30,, 2015 http://www.danagallery.com

The Russell Live Auction, Mansfield Convention Center, Great Falls, MT., Saturday, Mar. 21, 2015 http://www.cmrussell.org/the-russell

Booth Western Art Museum “For the Love of Art Gala & Art Auction” – February 21, 2015 www.boothmuseum.org

Altamira Fine Art “Art 2 Art Show”, Jackson, WY. – mid December, 2014 – January 1, 2015 www.altamiraart.com

Tom Gilleon & Laurie Stevens – 2 person show hosted by Altamira Gallery of Jackson, WY. and Creighton Block Gallery of Big Sky, MT., July1 – 18, 2014 http://www.creightonblockgallery.com

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum “Small Works, Great Wonders” Show, Oklahoma City, OK. – Nov. 15 – Dec. 1, 2013 http://nationalcowboymuseum.org/events/swgw/default.aspx

Recent Accolades

2016 - Portrait Society of America "Members Only Show" - I placed in the Landscape Division with my painting "Milk and Honey"! See the images on the slider.

2014 - Spring, 2015 - Juried into the Spring American Women Artists Online Juried Show. http://www.americanwomenartists.org/news/html/t_oli_2014_fall.html

2014 - Juried into the Fall NOAPS International Online Showcase. http://www.noaps.org/html/t_oli_2014_fall.html

2014 - Juried into the American Women Artists National Competition & Exhibition, Orleans, MA.www.americanwomenartists.org

2014 - Chosen to be an "Art in Action" Artist for the Russell Auction event at Meadowlark Country Club, Great Falls, MT., Mar. 21www.cmrussell.org/the-russell

2013 - Juried into the American Women Artists National Competition & Exhibition, Fredericksburg, TXwww.americanwomenartists.org

2012 - A piece of mine, "Motel Galata" was selected to be part of the permanent Modern West Collection at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA! www.boothmuseum.org/

2012 - Top 100 Paint the Parks National Competition (2 pieces) www.paintamerica.org

2011 People's Choice Award at the Clymer Museum of Art Exhibit & Auction www.clymermuseum.com

2008 C.M. Russell Museum CEO Award - given to one Russell Auction participant www.cmrussell.org

2008 - 2010 Paint America Top 100 www.paintamerica.org

About Me

Stevens’ work reflects the small daily wonders of the land she calls home: the first crocus of spring, the resilient beauty of the plains, or that special sense of hope and possibility that is only found in the West. Stevens is also interested in regional history, particularly the interactions of Native Americans and white settlers during the Reservation Period. Many of her paintings are an exploration of this dynamic and a meditation on the “taming of the West.” From Billings, MT, Laurie began her career as an artist in Los Angeles where she spent 12 years working for the entertainment industry as a scenic artist and muralist for television, theme park, theater and movie productions. She spent time as a member of the Walt Disney Imagineering team, lending her talents to many Disney theme park projects worldwide. She also did some set design, illustration, and matte paintings for several animated childrens’ movies. In the 1980’s Stevens returned to her native Montana, first to the mountains near the Scapegoat Wilderness and then to the ranch near Great Falls where she currently lives and works.

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