Cawdrey Gallery presents the work of Montana artist Steve Seltzer in exclusive exhibit

An exclusive exhibit of Western artist W. Steve Seltzer will be shown during Whitefish Gallery Nights at Cawdrey Gallery from 5 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 3.

Originally from Great Falls, Seltzer grew up steeped in the landscape and artistic traditions of

Montana’s east side studied with famed Russian Impressionist Sergei Bongart in California and has become a top contemporary artist. His work is included annually in the Coeur d’Alene Auction in Reno, Nevada, as one of the prestigious events in the Western art world, often

alongside works by his grandfather O.C. Seltzer and O.C.’s friend and peer Charlie Russell.

Steve Seltzer’s work has also been shown in all 55 of the iconic C.M. Russell Museum auctions since their inception in 1969.

The figures he often paints are historically accurate and lovingly rendered, but they seem to

inhabit the landscape instead of dominating it like in his grandfather’s work.

“My first interest is not subject matter. What I see has to suggest some kind of design to me, a distribution of colors, values and shapes in a way that lends itself to a compelling composition,” he said in a 2013 article in Big Sky Journal. “The difference with my work and other Western painters is that Western painters tell a story, like an illustration. I’m not trying to tell a story other than the larger universal story. Instead of one occurrence, I point to a bigger story, maybe a struggle for survival. Man against the environment, but not a specific historical incident.”

His work is most influenced by the Taos school, including European-trained artists like Carl Rungius who struck out West and created some of today’s most sought-after paintings of Western wildlife and vistas.

“Steve’s new work has wonderful brushstrokes, maybe a bit more impressionistic in style than his previous work. His pieces are reminiscent of a bygone age,” gallery owner and artist Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey said.