Clarence Rundell Challenge

KALICO Art Center has teamed up with the Kalispell Downtown Association to bring you our latest art call! We’re excited about the prospect of promoting Kalispell history with an event to commemorate the painting of the murals

Artist Clarence Rundell lived in Kalispell in the early part of the 20th century. In 1936, he came into this building and offered Tom Bogart and Arthur Hollensteiner, owners of the Eagle Shoe Store, a chance to get some murals on their walls. They settled on a series of Glacier Park landscapes based on photographs from the collection of T.R. Hileman, the official photographer of the Great Northern Railway. In Mr. Rundell’s recounting of the experience, he said, “I painted one mural a day from the photographs. I got $25 a painting.” (In today’s money, that would be around $500.) These remarkably preserved works are the only paintings of Mr. Rundell’s left in the downtown area.  

In reverence to Clarence Rundell completing a painting a day for ten days, we invite our ten selected artists to paint simultaneously during this one day challenge. Artists will paint in front of a designated downtown business on August 27th and the completed works will be loaned to said local businesses before ultimately being put up for auction.

Scroll down to see a map of the locations of each participating artist. Watch the artist's paint from 9:00 AM - 7 PM on Saturday, August 27th and then visit our auction site to bid on your favorite piece! Grab a bite to eat or a drink downtown and support your local businesses shopping at our unique specialty shops. It will be a great day downtown!

 

Be a part of the event and sign up to volunteer! We couldn’t do what we do without amazing volunteers from our community. Join us for part of the day or all day and sign up to be an artist’s assistant!

 

Why Wait?

Bid on the art that these artists will create on August 27th!

  • Painting Upper Kintla Lake

    in the KALICO Parking Lot

    Heck received her MGA in Visual Studies from PNCA in Portland, Oregon and holds a BFA in Painting from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. She has shown regionally at Museum of Contemporary Craft, Hap Gallery, Worksound International, Stumptown Gallery, CEI Works, Dijecta, Wildfang, and KALICO Art Center, among others.

  • Painting Scarface Point

    in the KALICO Parking Lot

    Shaw is an artist and outdoor enthusiast based in Bozeman, specializing in acrylics and gouache both in the studio and en plain air. Inspired by mountains, sunrises, and hillsides full of wildflowers. Memories of her adventures in these spaces fuel her passion to create and preserve them on canvas.

  • Painting Flathead Lake

    at Wheat Montana

    A continuous process throughout Gen's life of expressing has included her love for things that surround her. Growing up, DeLorme took part in many arts and crafts but discovered acrylic painting later in High School. It became a way of experiencing her adventures in a deeper and more poignant way.

  • Painting Upper St. Mary Lake

    at MontaVino

    Haakon Ensign is a professional artist born and raised in Montana. He works in oil paint and pen and ink. He has exhibited his art around the valley and has hosted Drink'n Draw at KALICO. He explores strong brush strokes and expressions of light through his work. His goal is to make inspiring art to make the world a better place.

  • Painting Janet Lake

    at Brannigans Pub

    Yarus trained formally in Academies in the tradition of the masters techniques developed in the 1800s, working to master realism to capture the depth and beauty of the world. His time in NYC was informative in ways beyond brush and pencil, but he found himself needing mountains more than ever. His passion for the landscape was found deep in the concrete vaults of the city.

  • Painting Trick Falls

    at Alchemy Lounge

    A Kalispell resident, Broughton's painting practice grew into a successful business for the last 25 years in Storiedwalls. She was able to paint in homes, schools, and businesses. More recently business has scaled down to canvas work, commissions, portraits, and birch wood paintings.

  • Painting Lake Josephine

    at Bias Brewing

    Apple studied graphic design at Columbia College Chicago. He has an extensive, life-long background making fine art and enjoys painting, drawing, designing, building, and anything else that answers the question, "How can I make this?". His creativity is motivated by self-expression, adventure, and groovy music.

  • Painting Lake MacDonald

    at Nature Baby Outfitters

    Guthrie, a fourth generation Montanan, is a seasoned Art Educator and is currently a full-time professor at FVCC. She earned an MA in Studio from NYU with residencies in Venice and Berlin. A decorated artist and teacher, her work has received recognition twice for the People's Choice Award at the Hockaday Museum of Art. She is an outdoor enthusiast, a practicing musician, and a lover of dinner parties and dark chocolate.

  • Painting Upper Two Medicine

    at Sunrift Beer Company

    Combining acrylic fluid paints, applying layer upon layer of glazes and colors. Letting each hue shout or whisper as it will, a veil is made to peer through. While her work is highly experimental infused with abstract elements, she is also heavily influenced by nature. The magic of Montana's surroundings finds its way onto her canvas repeatedly in different expressions.

  • Painting Heaven's Peak

    at Sweet Peaks

    Noice has been creating images of landscapes for nearly half a century. He works extensively in photography, oil painting, and pastel painting. He also works in tradtional printmaking methods including etching, collagraph, and monotyoe. Noice's art has been showcased in over 150 museums and gallery exhibitions. His work is shown in galleries across the country, and is included in the collections of museums worldwide. He is an avid supporter of the arts in the Flathead and is the owner Montana Modern Fine Art Gallery on Main Street in Kalispell.

DOWNLOAD THE MAP AND CHECK OUT THE ARTISTS IN ACTION!

Online Auction

Online Auction

Stake your claim to a one of a kind work of art from one of our incredible participating artists and be a part of this nuanced union of art and history!

**KALICO Art Center is a nonprofit downtown space for all ages and abilities to create, connect, and experience contemporary art by offering dynamic classes, events, exhibitions, and ceramics studio.**

**The vision of the Kalispell Downtown Association is to support the economic growth and vitality of Historic Downtown by promoting Downtown Kalispell as the social, commercial, professional & cultural heart of the community.**

 

Original works by Clarence Rundell: