Carol Zirkle Gallery of Original Fine Art

DAILY PAINTWORKS

"Montana! Open, free and untamed!

A rough land where colors change with the seasons.

Wild and domestic, animals thrive under deep, blue skies offset by huge, billowing white clouds.

The sun rises and sets with pure majesty, dwarfing even the tallest mountains.

Oh, how I LOVE Montana!!" - Carol Zirkle

Click to view video, or continue on to read.

Where I Started

I was born in 1958 and raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota when kids still had the freedom to run wild.

My Mother worked very hard to send us to college. When it was my turn, I majored in Fine Art.

After graduation, I worked in the corporate world for 19 years. I got married and when it started falling apart, I pulled out my sketchbook and began my “art career”.

Time for a Change

An astrologist told me I would quit my job, move three times, find the man who would love me, have a successful art career, and take care of horses.

I thought it was as good a plan as any. In early 2000, I quit my job and drove all my stuff to Townsend, Montana to begin my new life.

New Beginnings

It was a fun, scary, and challenging drive, but I made it to Townsend. When I dropped off the U-Haul truck, the people in the office were not shy. They wanted to know what I was running from, how long I intended to stay, then laughed when I told them I was moving into the top house on the top mountain. Your typical Montana welcoming committee.

Ten days later, I met Donald Messling, a cutting horse trainer. He treated me like gold. Six weeks in, he helped me move to a place in the valley. By the end of 2000, we moved again (the 3rd move, if you are counting) to a place where we could build a beautiful horse training facility.

We got married and have been living a very happy life.

My Artist Life

Montana taught me to love the sky! It prompted me to learn color using pastels and oil sticks.

A gallery owner saw my work and asked me to be their featured artist at an art walk. From there, I was fortunate enough to be represented by several galleries.

My paintings have been published in Southwest Art Magazine and have received recognition in several contests. Eventually, I was accepted into Oil Painter’s of America and National Oil and Acrylic Painter’s Society.

Over the years, I’ve taught classes and am currently working on creating videos to share what I have learned about art.

I feel very successful and blessed… gotta love that astrologist!

Accomplishments:

Inspiration: The Montana landscape is incredibly beautiful and the skies are spectacular! It’s the everyday scenes I encounter that are the inspiration for my work.

Mediums: At the beginning of my career, I focused on drawing with pencil. When it was time to learn to paint with colors, I started with soft pastels, then went to oil sticks. Today, I use oil sticks, traditional oil paints, pastel, pan pastel, and colored pencil.

Technique: I always say, “Everything has every color and every color has it’s own composition”. I apply the paint directly to the canvas, one color at a time. The colors mix during the process and after all the colors are applied, I tap in the edges and use a palette knife and/or a brush to highlight areas. When you get close to the paintings, you see many different colors peeking out everywhere. Here is a short video that shows this technique: “How to Paint Dramatic Skies”.

Education: I studied art at two state colleges in Minnesota, graduating with a Fine Art Degree from St. Cloud State University. My style of painting is mostly self taught. I like to research online to see what other painters are doing, then I experiment to improve my unique style.

Exhibitions and Shows:

2019

Helena Spring Art Walk @ Ghost Art Gallery, Helena, MT

2013

Helena Fall Art Walk @ Ghost Art Gallery, Helena, MT

2012

Artist Reception @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT

2011

Artist of the Month @ State Bank of Townsend, Townsend, MT
Helena Fall Art Walk @ Ghost Art Gallery, Helena, MT

2010

Art Walk @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT

2009

Helena Fall Art Walk @ Ghost Art Gallery, Helena, MT
Christmas Stroll @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT

2008

Quick Draw @ Townsend, MT
Helena Spring Art Walk @ Ghost Art Gallery, Helena, MT
Spring Art Walk @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT
Fall Art Walk @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT
Helena Fall Art Walk @ Ghost Art Gallery, Helena, MT
Christmas Stroll and Party @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT

2007

Quick Draw @ Townsend, MT
Amber Waves: Montana Landscapes (Juried) @ Big Fork, MT
Artist of the Month @ State Bank of Townsend, Townsend, MT
Art Walk @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT
Art Auction@ St. Peter’s Hospital, Helena, MT
Christmas Stroll @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT

2006

Art Within Art – Al Swanson and Carol Zirkle @ AL Swanson Gallery, Helena, MT
Quick Draw @ Townsend, MT
MT Secretary of State Exhibit @ State Capital, Helena, MT
Grand Opening Show @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT
Art Walk @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT
Autumn Social @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT
Christmas Stoll @ Depot Gallery, Ennis, MT

2005

Form Not Function Show (juried) @ Bozeman, MT
Forest Service Elk Horn 100 Year Celebration @ Townsend, MT
Montana Wild West Fest @ Helena, MT
Fall Art Walk @ AL Swanson Art Gallery, Helena, MT

Publications:

– May 2021 – “Off the Easel”, Southwest Art

– December 2020 – “New Year, New Work”, Southwest Art

– July 2020 – “Artists of the Northern Rockies”, Southwest Art

– June 2020 – “Landscape Paintings”, Southwest Art

– August 2019 – “Women in Art”, Southwest Art

– February 2019 – “The Beautiful Land”, Southwest Art

– April 2014 – Daily Paintworks Spotlight Issue

– January 2007 – “Carol Zirkle, Pastel Artist”, Montana Arts and Culture Magazine

– February 2006 – “Duet”, Helena Independent Record

– August 2000 – “Volunteers Rally to Rescue Stray Livestock in Fire Zone”, AP article in The Montana Standard

Awards:

– September 2019 – Painting “Mellow Yellow” was selected as one of the top 100 runners up in the Artist Network – Artistic Excellence competition.

– June 2019 – Painting “Mellow Yellow” was selected as part of the Judge’s Favorites (one of 15, including top three) in the DPW (Daily Paintworks) competition.

– May 2019 – Painting ““Mellow Yellow” was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury’s favorite 15% of the entries) in the BoldBrush competition.

– Dec 2018 – Painting “Mellow Yellow” was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury’s favorite 15% of the entries) in the BoldBrush competition.

– July 2019 – Painting “Peaceful Twilight” was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury’s favorite 15% of the entries) in the BoldBrush competition.

– July 2019 – Painting “Evening Fiesta” was selected as part of the Judge’s Favorites (one of 15, including top three) in the DPW (Daily Paintworks) competition.