Cassens Fine Art

"I love painting snow. There’s a stillness to winter mornings in the forest that inspired this piece: the soft drifts, the sound of a nearby brook, the calm light. This is the largest painting I’ve made and one of my strongest. It’s painted in premium oils, sealed with varnish, and set in a custom pale gold leaf floater frame. Its scale makes it a strong focal point in a spacious setting." - Scott Ruthven

"From the east side of Hamilton, MT, this is the view looking west towards the Bitterroot Mountains on a beautiful fall day." - Teresa Garland Warner

“I chose 'Confidant' for the title of this piece because we all need those friends we can rely on, as bison rely on each other to protect their herd.” - Bailey Burton

"When I lived in Colorado, I had a free-standing studio about 100 yards from my house that sat on 26 acres. Many evenings at dusk, I would sit out the back of my studio and put on Debussy's "Clair de Lune" and listen to this beautiful piece of music as the sun set behind the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was always such a very peaceful experience that stirred my soul. This scene, located at Mad Wolf Ranch in Browning, Montana, reminds me so much of that experience." - Jake Gaedtke

"Gary Owen Blues" takes its title from the marching song favored by General Armstrong Custer and reportedly played during the attack on the Washita village. According to accounts, the music was heard, but no soldiers were seen through heavy fog and ice.

"Glacier National Park is as much a landscape defined by the glaciers it no longer possesses as it is by those that it still does. The gentle bowl-shaped slopes and convoluted staircases of stone that form the park's mountains are the work of vast fields of ice that no longer exist. In their place, fields of flowers cover the alpine environment, thriving in the wake of glaciers long gone." - Jordan K. Walker

"'Night Keeper' explores guardianship and the presence of inner light within darkness. A solitary figure carries a lantern through a blue nocturne, its glow suggesting awareness rather than illumination. A companion animal stands close, embodying instinct and protection. Softened forms and layered textures dissolve the figures into the surrounding atmosphere, creating a dreamlike, psychological space. The night becomes a place of stillness and reflection, where vulnerability and strength exist side by side." - Rainny Zhao

"I painted this on location over two long sessions in 2023. I recently got the painting back and realized it needed some refinements, so I put it back on the easel for another go. So, two years later, I've arrived at the painting I was looking for." - Aaron Schuerr

"This is based on a photo of Ellen Gould, my friend's grandma, at 7 years old, shooting gophers on the Alberta prairies." - Renee Gould

"I always feel humbled when looking up at a mammoth sunflower." - Turner Vinson

'Willing and Able' is my love letter to the ranching community. So many of my works are inspired by real-life working agriculturalists who graciously welcome me to their pastures, stock pens, and brandings so that I can most genuinely bring their stories to life at the easel. This painting honors timeless cowboy ethos- dedication to their stock, closeness with nature, endless work ethic, and self-respect. - Kelsey Rae Morris

"Wings of a Man" began with a dream that Gilleon couldn’t fully remember, only a sense that a shadow needed to exist at the bottom of a very large canvas. From there, the rest of the painting developed through improvisation. The focus became the contrast between light and dark, using a strong silhouette so the shadow could hold its true weight. Wings appear often in Gilleon’s dreams, making them a natural symbol here. In this case, they are based on a nighthawk that had died the day before the dream. The figure holds an almost spilt peace pipe, a gesture that suggests warlike action. The circular form behind the figure is not a halo, but a war shield marked with Ghost Dance symbols, giving the piece a many layered meaning rather than true resolution. | January - August, 2024, Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West | November, 2024 - March, 2025, C.M. Russell Museum | April, 2025, Sold By Cassens Fine Art