Born in Bozeman, Montana in 1978, Kara Fellows-Tripp graduated from Bozeman High School in 1997 and went on to earn an AA at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri in 1999. After completing the Montana Artrepreneur Program (MAP), she launched her business and began painting full-time. Kara is represented in galleries and private collections in Montana, Arizona and Vermont. Her studio and home are in Bozeman.

In 2013, she was awarded “Best in Show” at the Sweet Pea Festival Art Show and in 2014 she won the Sweet Pea Poster Design Contest. She is currently preparing her first solo show, which will be on display at the Bozeman Public Library’s Atrium Gallery throughout March and April of 2015. The original Baxter oil painting featured on this months cover can be seen Aug 1-30, 2014 in the Bozeman Public Library Atrium.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Montana’s cultural ties to the landscapes and animals at the heart of its roots inspire and influence my paintings and my process. My early muses were a flock of Suffolk sheep gathered on a hillside, a reoccurring subject in my paintings, as well as my backyard “city” chickens. My artwork bridges the space between Bozeman’s agricultural foundation and the new dynamic Bozeman landscape.  

My contemporary presentation and painting style add a twist to traditional subject matter. I paint thick and often only with a palette knife. This technique allows me to illustrate the movement of the cottonwoods or the texture of hay “stubble” in a harvested field. The multi-directional knife strokes create energy in the piece. Up close, these movements create a mosaic effect—a hallmark of my work—when under-layers of color are pulled to the surface.  

See more of Kara’s paintings at www.KaraTrippArtist.com  or email her at kara.tripp@hotmail.com