P.A. Nisbet, known to his friends as Peter or Pete, is also known as a cloud painter — not a common moniker for an artist. “If you look at art history, there’s not a lot of artists dedicated to atmospheric subject matter,” Nisbet says. “[John]...
In the eighth grade, like many students, Susie Hyer took an aptitude test to indicate possible career paths. “My results came back saying that I was suited to be a cowboy or a park ranger,” she says. “But I knew at 4 or 5 years...
In the mid-1970s, Mark Klett was a young man with a degree in geology and an interest in photography when he heard about an intriguing United States Geological Survey (USGS) project. The agency was sending geologists to the West to take pictures from the exact...
Artist Dan Namingha comes from a succession of historically significant artists, and he continues that tradition with his own work. Born and raised in the Hopi village of Polacca, Arizona, located at the base of First Mesa, Dan now lives surrounded by the sky and...
Mark Kelso is an artist’s artist: he’s one of those rare and talented people who’s good at everything he does, which some might find annoying if he wasn’t also one of the most charming and engaging personalities you’ll ever meet. Hailed as one of the...
“Getting lost so you can find your way back” has been a theme, both professionally and personally, for architect Larry Yaw. And his adult children like to remind him of this regularly, he says, recalling the many adventures the family took in the backcountry around...
When Max Baucus’ term as ambassador to the People’s Republic of China ended in 2017, he and his wife, Melodee Hanes, had a decision to make — though it really wasn’t much of a conversation. “We wanted to live in Montana. We knew we wanted...
Richard and Vanessa Smith’s sleek and modern home overlooking Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado is an unusual sight among the log cabin estates in the mountain community. There’s not a rounded corner throughout the 6,962-square-foot structure that nestles into Bald Mountain ridge. With its flat...
Architect Chris Moulder has always been fascinated with old farm structures and ranch compounds. A Connecticut native, he grew up surrounded by old buildings, spending his summers working construction on historic restoration projects. One of the more memorable jobs, he recalls, was working as a...
In the early 1980s, James Lavadour was painting landscapes in an empty schoolhouse. The building dated to the 1930s, but the Catholic Mission it belonged to had stood on the land that became the Umatilla Reservation for more than 150 years. Lavadour lived in the...