Spring at the edge of Yellowstone National Park

coyotes at a wolf kill

Living at the edge of Yellowstone keeps you close to nature and aware of the cycles of life. It feels more 'raw' here, and I like that.
The first week of May, brought snow to the banks of the Yellowstone River. It does make for a beautiful landscape. Also, this week, wolves killed an elk in the Gardiner River a couple miles away in the Park - which brings in scavengers of all sorts and makes for amazing wildlife viewing. This is Spring in our neighborhood....


ravens at the wolf kill

Plein Air studies

These studies were painted at just about the same spot in Shields Valley - one last week, one this week. With the weather so different, I thought it could be interesting to paint from a similar vantage point and compare them. For me, plein air painting is a great teacher of how the light and different weather affects the colors and tones in the landscape. And what a beautiful landscape to try to capture in paint! While I was painting, I watched a pair of bald eagles and saw my first flock of white pelicans of the Spring fly through. And on my way home, I saw a pair of sandhill cranes and a flock of bluebirds - sure signs that Spring has arrived in Montana.

May Event at the Gallery....

Stop by the Gallery in May for our Pre-Season Preview -

Fridays: Noon - 4 pm and Saturdays: 9 am - Noon...

or anytime by appointment or chance.

Our first visitor of the morning...

I took this photo of the bison that 'browsed' by our gallery this morning. Not many towns have bison grazing down the main road!

Sometimes It Snows In April

Sometimes It Snows In April - study

by Shirl Ireland

Seems to be an appropriate time to announce this.... Sometimes It Snows In April was juried into the Custer County Art and Heritage Center Show which ended last month. BUT, at the end of the show a select few were chosen for a traveling exhibit which tours through the end of the year. I'm honored to have had this painting chosen for the traveling exhibit.

The scene depicts a very messy but memorable day, just about this time last year. I was heading into Yellowstone Park often, looking for the first bison calf of the year. Unfortunately for the new calf, it was a very messy morning to arrive. I did a plein air painting with coyotes yipping nearby and wolves howling in the distance. I went back in at the end of the day to a different scene.... the herd was out of sight now, but I could see one mother bison with her new born calf fending off an advancing black wolf. I watched for quite sometime as they 'jousted' back and forth. Eventually they disappeared from sight over a ridge.

The title for the study was easy - There's an old, very mellow, melancholy Prince song whose lyrics run through my mind every time I say it.... Sometimes it snows in April, sometimes I feel so bad.....It certainly went with the mood of the day.

Juried into the Hockaday Museum's Minatures & More Show

Blue Ribbon by Shirl Ireland Oil on linen 9" x 12"

Exciting news! My plein air painting, Blue Ribbon, was juried into the Hockaday Museum's Miniature and More Show. The show culminates with a benefit auction in May. I'll ship the painting out this week. Also, I'm working on a smaller 4"x6" sketch that I'll send along as a 100% donation toward the auction. I'll post a photo of the sketch when it's complete, along with more details of the Show.

Blue Ribbon was from a plein air 'marathon' in Yellowstone last fall. I was on a mission -- And what a fun day it was!... I painted Yellowstone Lake, a scene in Hayden Valley and then finished up with this painting near Ice Lake (not too far from Norris Junction). The challenge of this painting was to 'catch the light'. Clouds were rolling in and out, but when the sun was out, the colors were absolutely glorious! I certainly was inspired to paint it....So I'd wait for a sunny glimpse and 'paint like mad'. Sometimes the 'rush' from plein air painting can be like drinking 10 cups of coffee - that's how this one felt. I didn't even notice my cold feet!

Elk River Art crossing....

We watched a small herd of elk cross the Yellowstone River behind our Gallery today.