38 • portfolio
best
of
the
west
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show
incorporating many of his sculptures into furniture like his massive
Rocky Mountain Legacy table featuring two bull elk sparring on a
rocky wood surface.
Sculptor Lance Marshall Boen brings his one-of-a-kind sculptures
to the show from his gallery in Polson, Montana. Lance creates large
fish sculptures out of leather, then illustrates beautiful stories on the
body of each piece through a process of hand tooling and painting.
"I really love the use of leather because of the textural detail that I
can create on the surface," he says. "I'm not limited to size, and it's a
beautiful canvas to paint on."
Lance's inspiration for his art comes from a lifetime of fishing. "I've
caught those fish so many times, I know what their coloring looks
like. If it's a mural, I know what fish live in that same water, what
animals walk around that water." Some of Lance's sculptures at this
year's show extend beyond the water, like his 48-inch buffalo head
made entirely from vintage baseball gloves.
Painter Diane Whitehead describes herself as an "avid
outdoorswoman and self-taught artist." She combines her two loves
through her oil paintings of the animals, flowers, and landscapes
surrounding her home in Ovando, Montana. She has received high
praise for her strong brushstrokes and bold colors that make her art
come alive.
William Kalwick - Patriarch of the Plains • 36" x 24" Oil
Artist Lance Marshall Boen stands beside his seven-foot "Bucking Rainbow with Rifle" sculpture. Boen works with leather and found
objects to create angling-themed works.
