Artists: Laurie Stevens

                     Born in Billings, Montana,Laurie spent 12 years working in LA for the motion picture, theater and entertainment industry as a scenic artist and muralist. She did many large murals and backgrounds for Epcot Center and the other Disney Parks worldwide.She has done set design and illustration for theme park design groups,backgrounds for a children’s animated movie, and many large mural commissions,including those for the Savannah Cultural Center, The Baltimore Power Plant,and a diorama for a wildlife museum in WestVirginia.        

                     Laurie has for many years lived in Montana again with her family; first in the mountains out of Augusta, and now on their ranch near Cascade. Having lived in LA for those years has given her a special appreciation of Montana now. The ranch environment calls her attention to the circle of life, and our place within the circle.  It is from this natural environment that she finds inspiration.  

                     Laurie enjoys painting plein aire landscapes for the lessons they teach, and also is captivated by the interaction between animals or people and their environment. She is attracted to the play of light on a subject, to the story -it's emotional pull, and elementary graphic design. She finds herself increasingly attracted to the timeless stories of people living on the land and dealing with Mother Nature on a daily basis. Especially intriguing to her are the women's stories and their life paths as they juggle the responsibilities and pleasures of their many and varied circumstances.

She is a founding member of Montana Painters Alliance, and a member of OilPainters of America. Laurie was the proud recipient of the 2008 C. M. RussellMuseum CEO Award for ’08 Russell Auction artists. She was also picked as one ofthe 100 Finalists for the 2008 Paint America 100 Competition, a national event.Her work can be found in the collections of the USAF, Marty Skylar - past Executive VP of Walt Disney Imagineering, and the C.M. Russell Museum.