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Spotlight: Steve Oiestad
Published
6 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersComing full circle
Artist to lead pastel workshop in Big Sky Aug. 24-26
By Sarah Gianelli EBS Senior Editor
BIG SKY – Great Falls artist Steve Oiestad sold his first painting in 6th grade. It was of a caribou, he remembers, and he made it in the same medium he still works in today—pastels.
“I like the color better because you’re working with pure pigment,” Oiestad said, explaining that if you extracted the oil out of oil paint, pure pigment is what would remain. He also prefers the relatively obscure medium because pastels are light—convenient for painting in plein air—dry fast, and don’t fade.
“I like the brilliance of the color and it doesn’t change … what you put down is basically there forever,” he said.
But many years would pass before that young boy sketching animals on his family’s ranch near Big Timber, Montana, would dedicate himself full time to his passion for art-making, as he does today.
Oiestad pursued a degree in art at Montana State University but soon switched majors to agricultural education.
“During that period everything was pretty much modern art with a ‘do your own thing’ [approach], and I didn’t feel like I was learning anything,” he said.
Oiestad is glad he took the path he did. Working in the agricultural industry allowed him to live in places like Poland and Africa.
But in the early 2000s when he was relocated to Great Falls for work, Oiestad began to turn his focus back to art, and began to cultivate relationships within the healthy community of Western artists in the region. He took a part-time job preparing exhibits at the C.M. Russell Museum, and rented a downtown studio where his neighbors were other working artists. Many of them remain close friends and are fellow members of the Montana Painters Alliance, a group that gets together twice a year for “paint outs” in different parts of the state.
“It’s really unique,” he said about the tight-knit community. “I’ve never been anywhere else where all the artists basically get along, and there’s no competitive thing [among us].” Every Thursday the group meets for an artist lunch, and every year they participate in the big C.M. Russell Exhibition and Sale during Western Art Week.
Today, Oiestad works out of a home studio on a ranch in Fort Shaw, Montana, 25 miles outside of Great Falls. Set along the Sun River, it overlooks wheat fields, cows, and a duck preserve.
It is almost as if the artist has come full circle—painting the wildlife, Western landscapes and cowboy scenes that were part of his day-to-day life as a child.
“I know about [ranch] life and have a lot of respect for what they do,” said the artist. “They’re tough people but they’re also really, really, good people. I want to capture that.”
He believes people are drawn to iconic scenes of the West because they have a calming effect, and represent a dying lifestyle as small ranch owners are being displaced by corporate agricultural operations.
“It’s a way of life that’s kind of fading. There’s a real nostalgia to the cowboy life, but for the cowboy it’s a pretty tough life. It’s kind of like the art business,” he said, lightening the mood. “You never know where the next paycheck is going to come from.”
Steven Oiestad will lead a pastel painting work shop in Big Sky over the weekend of Aug. 24-26. Visit bigskyarts.org for more information.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
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July 15 (Monday) 6:00 pm - September 23 (Monday) 6:00 pm
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Hike Big Sky is a FREE guided hike for our community and visitors alike. A different trail will be featured each Monday at 9 a.m. Visit BSCO.org for trail description
Event Details
Hike Big Sky is a FREE guided hike for our community and visitors alike. A different trail will be featured each Monday at 9 a.m. Visit BSCO.org for trail description information. Please wear layers, bring water and snacks. Bear spray recommended.
Time
July 22 (Monday) 9:00 am - September 23 (Monday) 12:00 pm
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
Time
July 22 (Monday) 6:00 pm - September 30 (Monday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Join Santosha, BASE and Gourmet Gals to bring you a donation based all levels community yoga lunch break class every Wednesday throughout the summer. It will be
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Event Details
Join Santosha, BASE and Gourmet Gals to bring you a donation based all levels community yoga lunch break class every Wednesday throughout the summer. It will be taught by a variety of teachers from Santosha and BASE. This summer all proceeds will go to Big Sky Band-Aid, aside from the first one on the 26th that is happening during Pride week- all funds donated for that class will go to Big Sky OUT. A delicious lunch will also be served by Gourmet Gals following our practice each Wednesday (included in donation). You are welcome to donate with cash at the event or you can Venmo @Santoshabigsky and make a note for Community Yoga. Hope to see you in the Park!
Time
July 24 (Wednesday) 12:00 pm - September 23 (Monday) 1:00 pm
Location
Len Hill Park