Friday, March 9, 2012

C. M. Russell Brownie


I was introduced to C. M. Russell by my parents in 1953. He was the reason I'm doing what I'm doing.

I've done my best to depict a small figure that Russell carved and constructed out of birch bark, twigs, moss and what appears to be cedar driftwood. It's in the C. M. Russell Museum in the lower gallery.

This piece is to be finished next Thursday evening at the Quick Finish event to support the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. It's exciting to be part of Western Art Week in Great Falls, and one of my only opportunities to meet a lot of people and expose them to something they've perhaps never seen before.

The attraction to Great Falls is primarily focused on - Western Art.

There are over a half dozen shows going on at different venues around the city during Western Art Week.  Over the course of thirty years, the Western Heritage Artists show at the Holiday Inn has been a constant. Some of the shows are focused on dead artists, but I've never met one of them at the Western Heritage Artists show.

Charlie Russell is an obvious main attraction. The Quick Finish event gives artists who participate (about twenty) exactly forty five minutes to complete a piece of artwork which is then put up for auction. A very good cause, and although this is not my first event of this kind, forty five minutes to do what needs to be done (in this case) makes it enjoyable as well.


This is what I hope it will look like, only better, since I have now settled on what I'm going to use for the lettering colors, and I changed the composition slightly to better fit the overall piece.

7 comments:

  1. I'd like to see the original figure, it looks charming in your work. Very nice, as always. :-)

    If I ever make it to Montana I'll have to try and visit the interpretive center. I love places like that. I've visited several in my own area (including Washington State), and actually used to work in a small one years ago (I was a volunteer and later curator).

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  2. I hope you're not meeting dead people at the art shows. That would be sort of creepy.
    Are you going to bring your light pad to the show?

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  3. Love your work. Had not seen you around for ages. Then I discovered your reply to my gawd-awful-long post about pencils. And I clicked the link and here I am.

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  4. I love the wee folk--especially Brownies. You have done such a lovely job on this little fellow. He makes me smile. And he fills my eyes. (Grin)

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  5. Ohhh, brownies are back. I'm always so interested in your history lessons. I think It would be fun to look into Michigan papers...lots of auto, cereal, and furniture. But, I wonder, what else? You got me thinking! I love your buffalo skull stamp.
    bb

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  6. Very nice. I love your unique and artistic designs. You really have a very creative idea. Keep up the good works.:)
    EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper

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