Gallery

Missoula, montana

Featuring Contemporary Artists

Our gallery features local, regional and national artists.  Our eclectic showroom includes luxury objects, sculptures and original paintings. Listed below are featured artists currently on display at L.A. Design.

Photographer & Storyteller
Missoula, MT

ARTIST BIO |  I explore creation in many of its forms: human life, the natural world and the animal world. I am drawn to vivid vital colors and textures. The essences of places are what move me.

With my camera I strive to capture moments of beauty at wherever I happen to find myself home or abroad. Each of my images and even the most otherworldly landscapes tries to unearth a humanity that could easily have been overlooked.

My work unfolds out of attention, passion and love. All of my artwork is an expression of my curiosity and love for all the diversity in the world.

How can I fully express what I feel after visiting so many countries around the world? They include Tanzania, Namibia, India, Israel, Jordan Palestine, Argentina, Ecuador, France, Spain, Italy and a few more. The landscapes  of these countries with the people and animals have changed the way I see and changed the way I look at life. 

I hope my images convey the essence of the place and its people. I have also received a heightened awareness of the importance and urgency of conservation and preservation in many of these countries.

Western Modern Art
Lolo, Montana

ARTIST BIO |  Born and raised in Montana, Mark has been a full time artist for over 20 years.  Studying architecture in college provided the foundation for understanding shape, balance, and color. Years of work experience as a builder instituted a solid start to structure and form.  A construction background has also been helpful for making his own frames. 

Mark has been painting teepees and old style western images on canvas from an early age but has recently experimented with a modern twist. His work is currently showing at Mountain Trails Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY, and Park City, UT,  Montana Trails Gallery in Bozeman, MT, Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, ID, and L.A. Design in Missoula, MT.

Mark Gibson is a native Montanan, born in Helena and raised in Missoula. He received his first set of oils from his mother when he was only 12 years old.

Mark attended Montana State University on a scholarship and studied architecture. He also took classes on figure drawing and later studied watercolor with Hazel Foley for many years until he switched to oil painting in 1998.

Gibson's studies in architecture have had a direct influence on the path of his work. His teepees are themselves an architectural form. He critically analyzes his own paintings from an architectural perspective, focusing on creating a strong sense of composition with harmonious prospective and horizon line.

Gibson's in-depth study of watercolor has directly influenced the way he handles oil paint; the more glazes that he adds to each composition, the more dynamic and realistic the outcome. The artist spends his energy on each individual piece, carefully building up transparent washes until he achieves the rich, compelling tones he desires.

Mark is a strong believer in peer critiques and in learning from other artists' work. Living and working near the lively art community in Missoula has contributed to the ongoing conversation that Mark enjoys with other painters such as Brent Cotton and Brian Schweine.

Gibson has been pushing himself to focus on purity of color and masterful composition, working to move the viewer's eye around the entire piece. Most recently, he has been working on increasing the scale of his works, which has contributed to his achievement of creating a powerful mood and atmosphere in each painting.

Gibson's subject matter chiefly reflects the western lifestyle Mark enjoys. He is an avid fly fisherman and spends many weeks a year packing mules and horses. Exploring Montana's backcountry is one of Mark's favorite pastimes. Mark currently lives in Lolo Montana with his wife Lisa, daughter Josie and son Cal.

NOTEWORTHY AWARDS | MARK GIBSON

People's Choice Award from Oil Painters of America, Western Region
Museum Award from Art Of The West
Accepted into Oil Painters of America national show
Juried into CM Russell Art Show in Great Falls, MT
Multiple publications and articles featured in Park City Utah, Jackson Hole, WY 
Featured Artist in Western Art Collector Magazine

Monumental Western Art
Phoenix, AZ

ARTIST BIO |  “People often ask if the images I paint are from another century, from a bygone era. This is the West today, I say—a place where neighbor helps neighbor, where the day doesn’t end when the sun goes down.”

– Maura Allen, “Today’s West” | SouthwestArt Magazine

Story and cinema, song and symbol, landscape and legends shape both our real and imagined view of the American West. Native Americans, Lewis and Clark, Remington, Russell and dime store magazines were the first Western storytellers to shape our views. Song, photography and film soon added to the mix — and mythology. The American West, both real and romanticized, are the stories I create.

I start each piece on location, looking directly into the sun. The wide open West — its ranches, rodeos, and vintage Main Street — are my stage. With details obscured, I look for strong, iconic silhouettes. I’ve been a black and white photographer for 40+ years; the photographic images I make on location serve as a starting point for my mixed media paintings.

In my studio, working on wood, glass and steel, I weave “Old West” elements like vintage wall paper designs, typography and other symbols with those modern day Western moments resulting in a sense the past is always present.

I grew up in Northern California around the corner from Stanford University, where the iconic Eadweard Muybridge’s stop-action images of a running horse were taken and now displayed. I studied Classical Studies there, learning how iconic figures, myth and moments define a culture. When I began photographing the American West with ranchers and wranglers as my trusted guides, I realized the same cultural forces were at play.

When I’m not on the road, Prescott, AZ, and the Williamson Valley are home. Late in the day, I like to watch the Santa Fe Railroad snake through the valley, just as it has for well over a century.

"Maura Allen's high-contrast, high-silhouette work has earned her the moniker 'Warhol of the West'.” -- Cowboys & Indians Magazine. In her bold, brightly colored depictions of the West, the past is often a keenly felt presence." -- Western Art and Architecture Magazine

Conceptual Art Collection by John Greytak
Missoula, MT

ARTIST BIO |  Studio Greytak is a conceptual art project by John Greytak. He explores the intersection between design by nature and design by humans. He does this by curating and collecting the most compelling examples of works from nature, then offering them up to a select group of designers who work with him at his design center in the Treasure State of Montana. 

Inspired by John’s collection and the majesty of the landscape, the result is a dynamic, diverse, and exclusive collection.

John Greytak grew up in Eastern Montana. His father was a successful wheat farmer with a number of farms and John spent his summers working the land. It was here that he got an appreciation for the wide open-spaces and endless resources of the Treasure State of Montana. Known for its many mineral resources, Montana has been known for its rich supply of gold, silver, copper, sapphires, garnets, quartz, agate, and other gems and minerals.

But young John found beauty in other treasures from the land. As a boy, he gathered pieces from the farm which he tucked away for years. Years later, when he owned his first ranch, John worked with a craftsman to incorporate them into a multi-dimensional bar top that was not only a tribute to his own history, but also a work of art.

Years passed and John went to the East Coast where he started his career and his family but he always knew he would come back to Montana. When he did, he acquired properties where he could establish conservation projects. Creating and maintaining habitat for wildlife is one of John’s biggest passions and his conservation efforts are well known in the state.

But still, John had the collector’s eye for artifacts. He spent hours exploring every acre of the property. Every shed-horn or geode or amazing piece of twisted wood they came across became part of John’s “stockpile” of elements. John wasn’t sure what he would use them for, but he knew he was compelled to bring the beauty he found in nature, back to his shop for some future purpose.

While building and decorating his Bearmouth ranch in Western Montana, John’s designer suggested they bring some of the natural treasures of the Garnett area, where the ranch is located, into the design of the lodge. John loved the idea and traveled to the gem, fossil, and mineral show in Tucson, Arizona to find the perfect pieces.

John was mesmerized by the beauty and energy he discovered there and instantly fell in love with the gem and mineral world. He came back from the show with some amazing pieces for Bearmouth. Even after the lodge was complete, he continued to add to his collection. He has since made lasting relationships with vendors from all over the world who now provide Studio Greytak with their amazing specimens. 

John’s vision to create functional art, furniture, and objets d’art from gems, minerals and elements of nature came from his own love of the natural world, his keen eye, and his ability to bring together a team of world-class designers and artisans to make pieces that transform spaces with their beauty, their energy, and their stories. For John, it is about the people, the process, and most importantly, the journey.

Americana Portraitures | Multidisciplinary Artist
Coeur D’Alene, Idaho

ARTIST BIO  |  Hello, my name is Tanden Launder and I am a multidisciplinary artist working in North Idaho. Art has been a lifelong ongoing through many mediums. Although my current mixed media work has been relatively recent, my interest and appreciation for Americana started in boyhood, stemming partially from reading many biographies. Ones on the likes of Buffalo Bill, Amelia Earhart, John Dillinger, Sitting Bull, the list goes on.  Those books now serve as the part of the collage material I use to build up the layers on my art. In the process I focus on what I call "the draw", the part of the artwork that can be captured at first glance and as studied draws you closer to the details of smaller images and text. You will end up a foot away reading some 1930's newspaper article or studying the contrast of mediums interchanged. The intention is to have a art piece that rest easy in a space but isn't a simple study. Thank you for your interest, enjoy. 

Western Art & Clay Sculptures
Coeur D’Alene, Idaho

ARTIST BIO |  Terry Lee spent his youth living on a working Ranch just north of Coeur d’ Alene Idaho. He later opened a sporting goods store with his Brother. The Store was called Lee’s Outdoor Outfitter. Lee was an underwater scuba instructor (N.A.U.I. and P.A.D.I.), and taught diving for 18 years. After selling his portion of ownership to his Brother, Lee’s sense of adventure lead him to Southern California, where he taught diving and explored the possibility of pursuing Art as a full time career. In 1994, Lee would leave California to return to his home state of Idaho. He now resides again in Coeur d’ Alene, dividing his time between Canvas and Clay.

Lee has been described as a Fauvist, French for “the wild beat”. This is a style of painting with vivid expressionistic and non-naturalistic use of color that flourished in Paris in the early 1900’s. This comparison comes as a great compliment to Lee, as one of his most admired artist, Matisse was regarded as the movements leading figure. 

Lee’s trademark giant canvases and bold color encapsulate his unique style as a contemporary and impressionistic artist. His form of realism is easily recognized and appreciated by his collectors. His equal prowess as a sculptor makes him a formidable force in today’s art world. 

Lee’s introduction to sculpting came through the forged friendship of a master sculptor George Carlson. For over ten years the two sculpted weekly together with live models. Today, Terry is ranked among a select few of the worlds most appreciated sculptors. His laid back persona has endeared him to collectors all over the world.  

Lee was hired in 2008 to replicate a character Moose and Mouse from the Children’s book “Mudgy and Millie”. Children and families read the book and follow a two and quarter mile trail from statue to statue through the town as the two play hide and seek. This tour around town has become a “must do” for locals as well as tourist visiting the area.

 Terry has gained great recognition and is represented in Galleries in Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and New Mexico. In addition, his bronzes have been sold and collected by several museums, including the Bell Museum and the Uline Art Collection. 

The City of Coeur d’ Alene commission Lee to do a monument trail featuring life size figures of the history of City. “The Working Man” and “The Idaho Farmer”. Lee is currently finishing a Lumberjack which will be followed by a Miner and WWII Navy Nurse. 

Even with Lee’s fiercely busy schedule, he can often be found fishing in Alaska or chasing moose through a marsh just outside of Jackson Hole, WY. 

Photographer
Missoula, MT

ARTIST BIO |  My creative work is inspired by my love of the natural world, including wildlife, landscape, and natural environment portraiture. I strive to capture raw and unrefined images of nature in new and provocative ways. Please enjoy my images.

My original inspiration for landscape and wildlife photography began in northwestern Wisconsin, where I was raised observing the hilly farm and lake country landscapes.

I was drawn to the Rocky Mountains and Montana in the mid 90s, when I relocated to Missoula to pursue photography.  I have been fascinated with the land and with photographic opportunity since.  I attended the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in 2003 and 2004 and since graduating, have enjoyed incorporating photography into my every day life.  I spend virtually all of my spare time outdoors, where the natural world continues to be a source of creative inspiration for me. I also enjoy photographing portraits in natural settings.

In my mind, photography is about the fine balance between control and curiosity.  It is my hope that these collections of images will showcase both, and that viewers will enjoy the way I’ve chosen to capture them.

ADDRESS

337 E Broadway St

Missoula, MT 59802

ADDRESS

406-543-5077           

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L.A. DESIGN

Monday
10AM - 5PM
Tuesday
10AM - 5PM
Wednesday
10AM - 5PM
Thursday
10AM - 5PM
Friday
10AM - 5PM
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
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