Featured artists: Anaconda artists gearing up for Art Expo's opening
Susan Malee, left, and Carly Moodry are two of the featured artists in the upcoming Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo who happen to be from Anaconda themselves. They're pictured here with several of their pieces in front of Copper Village Museum and Art Center, the event's sponsor and one of eight venues where artists will have their work displayed Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16-18. Inserted into today's Anaconda Leader for local circulation is a special publication on the art expo providing information about each participating artist and their work, and see Page 8 for a guide to the venues and each artist that'll be there. Leader photo: Debbie Johns.
Above is a map of downtown Anaconda showing all eight venues for the Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo. 1: The former Wells Fargo building. 2: Pintler Physical Therapy. 3: Smelter City Brewing. 4: First Montana Bank. 5: The Montana. 6: AWARE administration building. 7: The Revolver. 8: Copper Village Museum and Art Center. Courtesy graphic.
The Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo is just around the corner, with about 40 artists, including more than a dozen from the Smelter City, set to display their works at eight venues downtown Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16-18.
The Anaconda Leader caught up with half a dozen of the local artists participating in this year's expo to learn more about them and their work.
Susan Malee: Susan, one of the featured artists at the expo, is a self-taught watercolor landscape painter. She always liked art, but got a degree in journalism instead. She didn’t have much time to pursue art while she was working, but is retired now and has managed to find more time to work on her passion. She was a switchboard operator at a ski area and took time sketching animals.
“I love watercolor, and particularly, landscapes,” she said. She started pencil sketching animals at 24 years old and all of her art starts with her own photos that she takes on her travels.
Carly Moodry: Carly, another of the featured artists, loved photography and art in high school; however, shortly thereafter she was involved in a horrific and life-changing accident. She went through extensive rehab and therapy for a long time. Then, two years ago, her sister said “you should get a camera” and with the help of her family she saved up and did just that.
Next, her friend Tom Curry, who is also a photographer, helped her learn how to properly use the equipment. While developing her skills she became interested and passionate in wildlife, landscapes, and animals. She had a successful art show last month at the Copper Village Museum and Art Center and is consistently gaining popularity with her photographs. Her latest great find was Montana Beargrass, which depending upon environmental conditions may bloom once every five to 10 years.
JoAnne Magnan Welch: JoAnne started painting when she was 18 years old. She took Adult Ed classes with renowned artist and author Florence Johnson. She paints western Montana landscapes, places she has hiked, traveled, and ridden on horseback to. Places in the high country that many people can’t get to.
“I want to share with others my perception of the enchantment and splendor that I find in Montana’s mountains and meadows, a spiritual wonderland of richness in the vast tapestry of the wilderness,” she said. She has been painting for 60 years and has no plans to stop anytime soon.
Cheryl Eamon: Cheryl has done art her entire life. She mostly uses acrylics and a lot of wildlife art including animals and the outdoors. She grew up in Montana, and when asked how she has become an artist, her response was “a lot of work and practice, and some classes.” She just finished a picture of a moose in the lake, which will be at the expo. She occasionally teaches kids classes at the art center in Anaconda, saying “it’s a great community thing to share with the town.”
Cara Jane Murray: Cara is a multi-discipline artist working in acrylic, watercolor, and other mediums as well. She started doing art about 20 years ago. Murray is originally from an area in Haynes, Alaska called “Mud Bay,” where there were 13 professional and renowned artists within a couple-mile radius. She was a single mother living in a small cabin on three acres, at the time. Half a mile up there was a gallery that encouraged full time artists, including herself. She was a freelance graphic designer at the time. She met her husband, and shortly thereafter they moved to Ketchikan, Alaska where she refined her particular style as an artist and began picking up recognition both locally and throughout the country showing her work at the So Ho Ko Gallery.
Next, they moved to Sitka, Alaska, also referred to as the “Paris of the Pacific” because of its strong and affluent artistic community. They spent 9-and-a-half years there. This is when she got into creating large scale murals. One project totalled 95 feet wide by 18 feet tall requiring her to use a lift to complete the ambitious project.
Her husband, a professional pilot, was on a rigorous search to find property in his home state of Montana and after several plans fell through, the couple received an offer for him to work in Butte, and consequently, moved to Anaconda.
“This place had everything we were looking for. I’m at a growing stage here,” she said.
James Rosien: James, the editor of The Anaconda Leader, enjoyed sculpting, drawing and painting as a child. His mom trained as an artist and he was influenced by her. He took art classes all the way up through high school and his work was exhibited at several shows for young artists. He seriously considered going to art school, but life had other plans, namely journalism and academia, so he stepped away from art for 20 years, but doing photography for the Leader is what finally brought him back.
He particularly enjoys outdoors photography because, “living in Montana how could you not,” he said. He started experimenting with Photoshop, investing significant time and money to bring him to where he is now, however he admits that he continues to learn more Photoshop features all the time.
Most artists fall into a niche of sorts, and for Rosien it’s “hyperreality,” an imitation of reality (in this case, drawing and painting) that is “more real than real.” One of his dreams is someday to have his images printed with a 3D printer with paint on canvas, “if that’s a thing,” he said, but his future plans are just to do more of it.
“Doing this gives me peace of mind, I really enjoy it, and maybe in the future I’ll sell my work as a NFT,” Rosien explained, referring to non-fungible tokens representing one-of-a-kind digital art.
The Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo runs Friday through Sunday, Sept. 16-18, with art displayed at all venues from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There will be an artists' reception on Friday at 7 p.m. at Copper Village, a Wild Game Feed on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Smitty's Barn and activities throughout the day Saturday and Sunday at Durston Park.
Where to go for the expo: Mapping the Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo venues
With roughly 40 artists spread out across eight different venues for this year's Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo, The Anaconda Leader wanted to provide a handy rundown of the locations and the artists who will be at each one. The numbers correspond to those on the map.
1
The former Wells Fargo building, 120 W. Park Ave.
• Bea Rosenleaf, Anaconda: Photography, mixed media, encaustic wax;
• Brent Given, Castle Rock, Colorado: Bronze sculpture;
• Cara Jane Murray, Anaconda: Multi-discipline, watercolor, acrylic;
• Jim Dolan, Belgrade: Metal sculpture, heat-endured metal painting;
• Larry Copenhaver, Helena: Watercolor, pen and ink, pastels;
• Stacy Crist Gessler, Anaconda: Photography, digital art;
• Sue Hummel, Superior: Mixed media, egg tempera, pencils, oil;
• Teresa Brown, Billings: Mixed media, alcohol inks, encaustic wax, oil.
2
Pintler Physical Therapy, 110 Main St.
• Armond Napier, Knifley, Kentucky: Acrylic;
• Ilene Paulsen, Plains: Watercolor, acrylic;
• JoAnne Magnan Welch, Anaconda: Watercolor, acrylic.
3
Smelter City Brewing, Main and Commercial
• Alan Wikoff, Missoula: Acrylic;
• James Rosien, Anaconda: Digital photo art.
4
First Montana Bank, 123 Main St.
• Bailey Burton, Great Falls: Oil on black canvas;
• Richard Flager, Alder: Watercolor, oil, soapstone and clay sculpture;
• Roger Wyant, Anaconda: Murals, charcoal sketching.
5
The Montana, Park and Main
• Alan Snell, Helena: Acrylic on stone and panel;
• Cynthie Fisher, Hamilton: Oil, acrylic, scratchboard, fused glass, bronze, mixed media;
• Dallen Lambson, Pocatello, Idaho: Acrylic, charcoal, pastel;
• Darcy Presiloski, Calgary, Canada: Mixed media, charcoal, oil pastel, pencil;
• Fred Boyer, Anaconda: Bronze sculpture;
• Ken Conger, Columbus: Photography;
• Loren Kovich, Helena: Watercolor, acrylic;
• Marilynn Dwyer Mason, Butte: Mixed media, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, oil, pen and ink;
• Shawn Bisch, Anaconda: Pencil sketches;
• Susi Stroud, Anaconda: Photography.
6
AWARE administration building, 205 E. Park Ave.
• Amber Sampson, Bozeman: Oil;
• Susan Malee, Anaconda: Watercolor;
• Trevor V. Swanson, Phoenix, Arizona: Oil and patina.
7
The Revolver, 221 E. Park Ave.
• Angela Smith, Anaconda: Acrylic, charcoal, pastel;
• Janet Mozcar-Buti, Belgrade: Oil.
• Marilynn Dwyer Mason, Butte: Mixed media, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, oil, pen and ink;
• Martha Cooney, Butte: Pen and ink, watercolor, pencil drawings, calligraphy;
• Vonnie Nuthak, Butte: Oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastels, chalk.
8
Copper Village Museum and Art Center, 401 E. Commercial Ave.
• Carly Jo Moodry, Anaconda: Photography;
• Cheryl Eamon, Anaconda: Acrylic, oil;
• Norma Lee Pfaff, Corvallis: Oil;
• Rochi Estes, Anaconda: Antler and skull carving, charcoal drawing, acrylic, watercolor;
• Steve Kerr, Absarokee: Acrylic, watercolor.