Page 58 - Flathead Living // Spring 2015

would have been challenging enough, given the equipment of the day. Add to that the challenge of being a woman in a male-domi- nated field, and most would succumb to soci- etal expectations.
“Women weren’t thought of as someone who would go out like that. I’m wondering if they were looked down on. Back then I don’t think women were really thought of well if they were on their own and explor- ative,” Stats said.
Some may have had sponsorships and help getting into the park, she said, but most were likely on their own.
“They weren’t in there for the idea of sell- ing and having a career. I think they were painters and they had to do it,” she said. “Someone true to the craft doesn’t put the average everyday thing in front of that. They put their craft and what they have to do first.”
Another of the living artists, Tippetts, said this is what makes the art from these women so interesting.
“Most of the male artists during the open- ing of Glacier Park had sponsors,” Tippetts said. “I think for the most part, these other women came on their own because they wanted to paint there. That makes their sto- ries compelling.”
Tippetts, Stats, Cooke, and Warner met in the final week of August for an artistic trip into Glacier, staying in cabins on the east and west sides of the park, painting alone during the day and discussing their work and histo- ries in the evenings.
“They are just great women; we had just a great time and painted and painted and drove,” Stats said. “We found places to paint, and man, it was good.”
Pieces of their adventures were captured for the documentary, which Moss said should clock in at around 45 minutes or longer. The book will contain roughly 60 pages.
Tippetts and Stats both said they were honored to be part of the project, especially because the women who painted the park
LEFT “Piegan” by Rachel Warner. RIGHT Nellie Augusta Knopf.
before them were finally getting their due. They also said they know Glacier Park
will continue to draw artists of all genders. “It’s so big, it’s so huge,” Stats, who lives in Utah, said. “It’s walking on the wild side with a safety net, is how it feels, and we mustn’t take for granted that that safety net
is going to be there.”
Tippetts lives near Augusta, Montana,
but lived in the Flathead for about 30 years before that. Glacier Park is a consistent source of inspiration for her, but it’s also a place to refuel her love for art.
“I’ve been a professional artist for many years now, and it can be challenging to con- tinue to keep the passion, which is a big part of what I try to put in my paintings,” Tippetts said. “When I start producing instead of cre- ating, all I have to do is go outside and paint, and in particular go to Glacier Park, and it’s back again. It’s all new again.”
For more information on “A Timeless Legacy,” visit www.hockadaymuseum.org or call 406-755-5268. FL
“WOMEN WEREN’T THOUGHT OF AS SOMEONE WHO WOULD GO OUT LIKE THAT. I’M WONDERING IF THEY WERE LOOKED DOWN ON. BACK THEN I DON’T THINK WOMEN WERE REALLY THOUGHT OF WELL IF THEY WERE ON THEIR OWN AND EXPLORATIVE.” KATHRYN STATS
56 FLATHEAD LIVING | SPRING 2015