The Best of the West Art Show is one of many shows for Western Art week, which continues until March 22 in Great Falls.
Kalispell resident and artist Karen Straight said animal portraits are her passion.
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“I make large wildlife portraits that are entirely made of wool, using needle felting as the process,” Straight said.
“I've always just loved animals, and so I wanted to do animal portraits that have presence and individuality. And when I found felting, I was so excited because it could be painterly and sculptural at the same time and create animals with presence,” Straight said.
Kiria Fercho of Billings said she loves the show and has been coming for 17 years.
“I've had a piece in the live auction every one of those years. It's a little crazy to me to think how fast time goes by, but it's my favorite show that I've ever done, and one I always return to,” Fercho said.
As a result of Western Art Week, Fercho’s work has made it all around the globe.
“We have people from all over the world that come to the show. And so I have paintings that have made collections that never would have otherwise had I not done this show,” Fercho said.
Kasey Nixon, an oil painter and sculptor from Helena, said his booth is full of North American wildlife.
“So stuff I've seen near home, elk here. You see a golden eagle here. These are stuff that I see pretty close to home. I'm a pretty avid outdoorsman, so a lot of the scenes are coming straight out of memories that I have either hunting or fishing out in the wild,” Nixon said.
Enjoying the camaraderie of artists is uplifting, according to Nixon.
“You know, there's highs and lows in the art world and, you know, getting to celebrate each other's highs and holding each other up through the lows is a big part of this. And being right next to other artists that go through it with you is a big part of that. So and the relationships matter so much to me,” Nixon said.
Click here for more information on all the Western Art Week shows and events.
