Gary Carter – The Artist

Gary was born to Phil and Louise Carter in Hutchinson, Kansas on March 12,1939.  The family moved to Southern California when he was a small child, for employment. Disney Studios employed Gary’s father, as an illustrator and at the young age of 6 Gary would draw the funnies while sitting on his fathers knee.

Gary’s teachers in a junior college told him he was too serious about art, and he should apply to Art Center - College of Design in LA, which he did and was accepted. In 1971 Gary graduated with honors and became an in-house illustrator for a California design studio. All this happened after a stint in the army after high school. I guess you could say he was a late Bloomer.

In 1975 Gary was invited to come to Montana and live and paint on the Sun Ranch in the Madison Valley. He was their resident artist and still maintains a close relationship with the present owners; Roger and Cindy Lang. Gary met his wife Marlys who lived about 60 miles from sun ranch in 1976 and moved into West Yellowstone. Gary and Marlys along with their two kids, Jeff and Suzanne built a home on Hebgen Lake in 1977 where they still reside.

Their home is just a few miles from the Sun Ranch where Gary gained an intensive education and precious insight into the world of the cowboy. Even today he helps friends with roundups.

Gary collects western books and artifacts, but is a man with wide ranging passions. Fly-fishing, street rodding and building model railroads are but a few of his interests.

In 1980 Gary and his brother jack started the Gary Carter print company and to date we have about 80 releases.

In 1982 Gary was accepted as a member of the Cowboy Artists of America, the most prestigious organization for western art in the world. There are usually between 23 and 29 members. The CA's as they are called are known not only for their beautiful work but also for the accuracy and knowledge of the west. Gary functioned as president of the organization in 1986.

Gary paints the contemporary and historic American West from Mountain Men to Indians, and today’s cowboys. He also includes some of his favorite subjects like grizzly bears and elk. He has a great sense of humor and loves to portray animals gaining the upper hand.

In June 1991, Gary was adopted by the RealBird Family, and the crow tribe, and welcomed into the Big Lodge Clan. Gary’s Indian name is Eagle Man. Each year Gary’s Indian brothers put on a reenactment of Custer’s Last Stand. Of course it's the Indian version done on there own land at medicine tail coulee, the only privately owned land at Custer’s battlefield. Gary usually attends and develops some great ideas for paintings by doing the reenactment.

Gary’s artwork can be seen in many public collections and exhibits, he also teaches workshops on occasion and we will keep you updated on the next one. Gary’s work has been on calendars and note cards, something we will look forward to repeating in the future. He is in several books two being “A Brush with the West”, by Dale Burk, and “Old Masters of the West”, by Chase Reynolds. Gary’s book will be released by 2006 and maybe sooner if the fishing isn’t any good.

Gary has received many awards and honors and has had articles in Art of the West, Western Horseman, Horse and Rider, Cowboy Magazine, Big Sky

Journal, Southwest Art, True West, Outdoor Life, Horse Journal, Northwest Living, Wild West, Equus, to name just a few.

Gary belongs to and is active in groups and organizations like. The Montana Cruising Association, Big Sky Kids, Kentucky Colonel, N.S R A, National Rifle Association, The National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, and SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) it's for all the children of the 50's who used to sneak their cap pistols into the matinees.

Gary is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is serving as the Bishop in the West Yellowstone Montana Ward.

Gary’s Favorites

Piece of art - any n. or F.T. Johnson.

Past Time - Fishing, or crusin to car events and working on cars and model airplanes.

Vacation Place - The Beartooth Wilderness.

Food - Spicy Chinese.

Book - Dean Cornwell - Dean of Illustrators.

Actor - Sam Elliot

Movie - The Rounders

Collections as a Kid - Airplanes, non domestic Animals and Reptiles, bottle caps, marbles, baseball cards, cavities, black eyes and nosebleeds.

Collections now - Pharmaceutical Prescriptions, doctor bills and specialty cars

Hobby’s as a kid - Fly-fishing, junk yarding, girls from out of town, preferably Palos Verdes Estates.

Hobby’s now – Fly-fishing, Hot Rod Building (hi-tech shops), black powder shooting, rendezvousing, Indian Wars re-enactments, pack trips and cooking. He was a chefs apprentice at Lake Tahoe and in palm springs.

First Art work sold - In art school to the lady who owned Sinbads and Moby's dock restaurant on the Santa Monica pier in 1969 it was a water color $50.00

Who and what influenced Gary to do art for a living? Seeing original Russell and Remington paintings at the old buffalo bill log cabin museum in Cody, Wyoming. as a boy. Seeing art and artifacts really inspired me to have my own museum.