Beneath These Western Skies

Featuring the art of Afton an Trish Stevenson

The contemporary western paintings of local artists, Afton, (who, as an artist, goes by her first name only) and Trish Stevenson will be showcased at the Long X Art Gallery

The title of the exhibit, “Beneath These Western Skies”, refers to the deep connection they both feel to the rural lifestyle and unique geography of the MonDak region. “Living in this area, it’s been natural for us to be inspired by a variety of subject matter, such as landscapes, wildlife, rodeo, and rural scenes,” Trish explains.

The exhibit includes textured mud acrylics on wood by Afton and pastels and oil paintings by Stevenson. Both artists approach western themes with a fresh, bold view using daring colors and vivid brushstrokes to explore energetic subjects. Stevenson likes to use bigger brushstrokes in her action paintings, passing over details to emphasize the movement. When it comes to the calmer scenes, she enjoys finding which details contribute to her vision of the subject. You will see splashes and drips in Afton’s paintings as hers resemble watercolor with fluid and translucent layers, often including subtle metallic color accents. She aims to create stunning work through originality that balances bold and stylish with rustic and grounded.

Afton was born in Williston, North Dakota and grew up in Sidney, Montana. She considers her art a gift and has been honing her skills since being a young girl. Attending western art shows from an early age, working in her mother’s gift and décor store, and also in a western art and framing gallery starting as a teen were invaluable experiences. With a love for the badlands, Afton studied art on a full scholarship to Dawson Community College nestled along Makoshika State Park. In 2006, she opened her studio, Bold West Art, offering fine art and custom framing in Sidney. A favorite award was received in 2013 when George Strait chose her artwork for a promotional poster design. In the Summer of 2022, she completed a massive outdoor wildflower and barbed wire mural in downtown Sidney. She recently enjoyed participating as one of the Quick Draw artists at The Gala: For Arts, Parks and Recreation held in March in Watford City.

Afton spends ample time in the outdoors hiking, hunting, and fishing with her husband and daughter and has a deep love and gratitude for nature and that lifestyle. Afton exhibits and sells her work at art shows and events in Montana and throughout the MonDak region. To see more, find her artwork at www.boldwestart.com, on Instagram @bold.west.art, and Facebook @boldwestart

Trish Stevenson grew up in a rural area west of Denver, either riding horses or drawing them, then later attended the Colorado Institute of Art, which included a study trip to Europe. She attributes the western flavor of her work to family vacations spent with her grandparents in the badlands near the Little Missouri River in western North Dakota. They lived in an old log cabin where her grandmother cooked on a wood stove. Her grandfather was a locally famous bronc rider in his day, rodeoing in Watford City, Killdeer and Sanish, to name a few. Each summer, Stevenson and her siblings enjoyed the hot, dusty rodeos, brandings, and fishing excursions to the river. It all made a deep impression on the young artist, and still influences what she paints today. She has now lived in the Mon-Dak region for over 20 years and visits the old log cabin regularly to paint.

Stevenson’s works have been featured in Art of the West and Western Horseman magazines, and exhibited at the Rockwell Museum in New York, the Amerind Museum, the International Museum of the Horse, Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. You can see more of her artwork on her website: www.trishstevenson.com and on Facebook www.facebook.com/trishstevensonfineart and Instagram @trishstevensonart.

Together, Afton and Stevenson have shown their artwork in exhibits in Red Lodge, Miles City, and Sidney, MT, as well as Williston, ND. They also show together at the prestigious Outwest Art Show and Sale during Western Art Week in Great Falls, MT.