Arrival of the Dawn
The Art of B
www.distinctlymontana.com A Brush With At mosp h ere:
rent Cotton's paintings have won national awards, including "Arts for the Parks top 100" and the CM Russell Museum CEO Award, and hang in prestigious collections. The following interview by Bill Muhlenfeld captures the quest and personality of this man. For more info, see www.cottonfinearts.com.
er's house and painting with watercolors at her dining room table. I was probably five or six years old at the time. I remember doing a tractor painting with big dark curls of smoke pouring out of the smokestack that I was particu- larly proud of.
What piece are you working on right now, and what is your inspiration for it? We recently returned from an annual family trip to the Selway River in Idaho. This rugged country and beautiful gin clear water inspired the piece I'm currently working on. It depicts two fishermen by a campfire near a deep em- erald green pool. With this work, I'm striving to capture the depth and clarity of the water and the solitude that the fishermen are experiencing along that amazing river.
You spent several years as a hunting and fishing guide in Alaska and Idaho before you took up painting as a career. What were the influences of that experience?
After I graduated from high school and was deciding my next move, I was torn between my love of art and the out- doors. I thought being a guide would allow me to work in the country that I love and also serve as inspiration for my art in the off-season. I still refer to those sketches and
Brent Cotton
Tell us your earliest memory of painting something you were pleased with. My earliest painting memory is going to my grandmoth-
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