Artist Focus: Colt Idol

With the summer season in full swing, one of the artists who is busy and active is Montana-based painter Colt Idol, who will have noteworthy events in June and July.

Lost in Admiration, oil, 20 x 20 in.

The first is his solo show, A Western Drama, opening June 15 at Coeur d’Alene Galleries in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The second is the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction July 27 in Reno, Nevada, where he will have a piece available to bidders. Additionally, he will also have new work on view at his own gallery, the Dick Idol Gallery in Whitefish, Montana.

Within Time, oil, 60 x 48 in.

In all of these appearances and shows, Idol’s paintings will highlight the artist’s strong use of color, his careful compositions and fascinating subjects that range from Native Americans to cowboys.

“I find myself constantly experimenting with the balancing act of parts of realism and abstraction. I’m not a realism painter by any means, but I enjoy the thought of trying to wrestle with those sometimes competing objectives within one painting, pushing rules and structure while being open to limitless creativity. In a lot of ways, I believe the use of color and light have allowed me to do so,” Idol says. “In most paintings I have one primary agenda—mood. Mood can mean many different things to people. It could be peaceful, tumultuous, perplexing, mysterious etc. I like to identify a targeted mood early in the piece and make decisions throughout that further support that goal.” —