Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 39 UNMISTAKABLE ART Capturing the color, excite- ment, vitality and romance of life in the West, LARRY PIRNIE exemplifies the spirit of Montana through his paint- ings. He has spent over three decades living and painting in Montana, yet he is widely known and collected throughout the country, because his art is unmistakably Pirnie. Larry Pirnie was born in Iowa, and spent summers traveling to the West to visit his grandpar- ents. He met Norman Rockwell and acted on his recommen- dation to attend the Pratt Institute in New York. He worked in advertising for many years before giving up a corporate position to live his dream of being a cowboy artist. He moved to Montana in 1978 and met Irene, who would become his wife two years later. She became his agent and has since placed his paintings in 130 galleries. In 2004, Lynne Himes opened The Pirnie Art Showroom and now represents his work exclusively. In addition to the originals always on display in the showroom in Missoula, in recent years his work has traveled to Las Vegas, New York, Jackson Hole, Cody, and Scottsdale. He has often been a featured artist at the prestigious Western Masters art show associated with the C.M. Russell Museum, as well as the Rendezvous Royale at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Pirnie is also featured among an esteemed collection of contemporary trendsetters in Western Art at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, which houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country. Pirnie has found joy in authoring a book to tell his story, and has collaborated with his friend, renowned cowboy poet (and sometime bareback bronc rider) Paul Zarzyski on other published works. Pirnie has often given art to help the Mis- soula community. YOU JUST FINISHED UP AN EXTENDED BREAK. IN WHAT WAYS WOULD YOU SAY YOUR SAB- BATICAL MIGHT INFLUENCE YOUR WORK NOW THAT YOU ARE PAINTING AGAIN? My time away from the marketplace allowed me to live with only my voice as I came to the end of a dream that brought me to Montana, painting my fantasies about cowboys and horses. I painted them the entire time I was on my sabbatical, but it was mainly to discover a new focus when I walk into my studio. I'm still painting people and mountainscapes, but the fantasy has been fully explored and now I must pursue a visual expression that captures the love I have living in the West; not just fantasizing about it. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW? I'm presently exploring my relationship with mountains, streams, and rock formations. I love the textures of nature and I hope to use that visual relationship to add color to the statement that expresses the energy I always experience in nature. AN INTERVIEW Dad's Ol' Place A Stream of Gold

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