A Perfectly Timed Debut

SOMERS – A dozen clocks tick-tocking away at their own respective paces. Hundreds of Beanie Babies arranged just so and hanging from ribbon along the walls in an explosion of fuzz and color. Wrapping paper from Christmas encases the door and part of a wall. Woven throughout, cat figurines sit in orderly lines, while medals and ribbons won at Montana Special Olympics events create blocks of blue and gold.

And standing in the middle of it all, with a proud smile and a quick explanation for each item, is Leanne Shepherd, a sort of artist-in-residence here at Lighthouse Christian Home.

The room could be cluttered, but the order instead makes it feel like standing inside a vision board, those collections of pictures and images that represent our dreams and desires. Here in Shepherd’s room sits the inspiration behind her unique paintings, which are part of the focus at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center’s Spring Member Show.

Shepherd’s love for color lives here, as well as her devotion to clocks. Empty canvases await brush strokes, and tubes of bright-colored paints sit ready. But brushes, paint, and canvases are not the only necessities for such creative endeavors.

“The most important tool of all that I use is the imagination,” said Shepherd matter-of-factly.

Lighthouse Christian Home is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong care for adults with developmental disabilities. The main house, located in Somers, is home to 12 individuals who received around the clock assistance and care. Four individuals in supported living also reside there.

It’s a bustling home, full of activity and sound. Shepherd’s basement apartment space allows for a modicum of peace while she paints, and her creations fill a wall. Most of the clock paintings are in Bigfork, where Shepherd gave a talk about her work on May 6 for the show’s opening reception.

Valerie Homer, the interim director at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center, said the show has been a success, and another of Shepherd’s talents – baking – was on display with the two cakes she made that looked like clocks.

“She was just so proud and so happy,” Homer said. “People have come in specifically to see the exhibition.”

Since she becomes connected to many of her paintings as she makes them, Shepherd wasn’t initially sure she wanted to sell them, though any proceeds would go to the Lighthouse. But Homer said the decision to sell came through, and one has already sold.

“One of our goals is to do many more community collaboration projects, so we’re especially thrilled to partner with the Lighthouse,” Homer said. “I just couldn’t be happier. She was a great one to be the first person to be featured that way.”

Shepherd, now 32, grew up in Dupuyer, a tiny ranching community just outside of the Blackfeet Reservation east of the divide. She can tell you the purpose of any number of farming implements, and also packs a few cracking jokes about agricultural life (“Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work”).

Going to high school in the nearby town of Valier posed challenges for Shepherd, who was bullied for being different. But it was there she discovered her art, and a world of potential began opening up.

“When I was in school, I didn’t even know all the talent I had in me,” she said. “I learned that getting mad about people bullying me only made me feel bad.”

Thinking about it now, Shepherd feels sadness for the people who hurt her feelings and bullied her back then.

“What you are is what you are. I’m considered a happy person. The kids who bullied me then were unhappy,” she said.

Moving to Lighthouse in 2006 was a big change for Shepherd, but it was also a chance to branch out. She’s involved with Special Olympics, and is quite talented at the flute, piccolo, and recorders. The cake she styled to look like a giant cheeseburger won the coveted Best in Show ribbon at last year’s Northwest Montana Fair.

Seeing her work on exhibit at the BACC was another of these important moments of success.

“I was so proud,” Shepherd said. “It was fun. I thought it would never happen.”

On the table lies a large, empty canvas that Shepherd’s mom sent to her. Her family is very involved in her life, and like to send her art supplies. With that big of a space to fill, Shepherd said she’s going to try out painting a bison.

When asked which type of clock she likes, Shepherd’s answer also illuminated the reason why her work is an important piece of the valley’s artistic community.

“I like all clocks because they’re all different,” she said.