Carrie Ballantyne

A student of the Old Masters, Ballantyne refined her style as a graphite portrait artist with encouragement and inspiration from local artists. Working as a camp cook, she accompanied fishermen and hunters into the Absaroka Mountains, her sketchbook never far away. As she became increasingly skilled in pencil, her work came to the attention of painter Ted Feely, who urged her to attend the George Phippen Western Art Show in Arizona. There she not only met the renowned James Bama, who she cites as her biggest influence, but sold most of her drawings, starting her career as a Western fine artist. “I choose to portray country people because they are the ones who live and work around me,” she says. “Tender moments that please me typically appear in my work. I am always striving to communicate all the emotions you can see in a face, posture and other body language.”