Tomi Simenson, featured artist at The Mountaineer, Saturday.
Some people dream of things like ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings.
Tomi Simenson dreams of wild mustangs, Miles City Artistic Competitions, fields of purple sage, cowboys, ranch stoves and all things western.
Good thing she can vent those dreams. Tomi works with several art medias like pencil, charcoal and water color to name a few. A Couple of years ago Tomi added photography to the mix to make her art even more interesting.
Whatever the medium, the art is western. It allows her take on things that Ace Powell and Charlie Russell might have been painting a hundred years ago.
"I do a lot of horses, cattle, cowboys, close-ups of stirrups, bucking horses and little cowboys," said Tomi. "If it has to do with the west, I have probably done it or something like it."
Tomi was born and grew up in Miles City. That was where she met her husband Justin. They moved to Absarokee where he worked. The couple has two children; Wylee who is ten and Wacee who is five.
The family moved to Chinook seven years ago when Justin got a job as a District Brand Inspector.
But before they left Absarokee, Toni was babysitting for an Absarokee artist who looked at her work and really encouraged her to turn her art into a business, rather than just a hobby. In fact the lady set up a show in a gallery that did well and Tomi was on her way!
Tomi had a big accomplishment this year at the Miles City Bucking Horse Show. Every year that event has a fast draw competition where artists have thirty minutes to complete and frame a painting. It is auctioned off immediately.
This year Tomi drew in charcoal a mustang with its hair blowing in the wind. The title of the piece was "Untamed".
"Untamed" went for the highest price in the auction. It went for $2000.00. Tomi was pleased.
"The Mountaineer" is pleased that during the Christmas Stroll Tomi has agreed to show her art at "The Mountaineer."
If western art is your thing, don't miss this show which is a blend of new and not so new all with an old and new west theme.
