This summer, Kira Fercho, renowned for her vivid portrayal of Montana, turns her palette to the stark and imposing lands of Glacier National Park. Fercho’s deep connection to these lands and their rich histories is evident in the respectful way she portrays her subjects.
Her journey as an artist began in her childhood, where the expansive forests and valleys of Yellowstone National Park and the majestic landscapes of Glacier served as her muse and playground. At the age of 13, Kira’s mother would take her to Yellowstone Park, where she learned to listen to her heart, how to reach for a visual vocabulary, and to translate the sounds of the natural world through her brushstrokes.
Crazy Horse | 53” x 53” | oil on canvas | Kira Fercho
Through her art, she aims to capture the spirit and stories of the places she cherishes and the people she has encountered along the way. “These paintings are my everything,” Fercho says. “My higher power gifted me the ability to paint and it’s my job to make them and protect them and find the rightful owners for them.”
Unlike a lot of painters, Fercho doesn’t make prints from her oil paintings. She paints using thick layers, in an impasto style, and the translation to prints would not convey the authenticity of her work.
My Heros have always been Cow Dogs | 30” x 60”
“A large part of my show this summer is connecting people with the history of place. It’s important that these locations are revered as sacred lands, not just a beautiful place to visit. I hope people enjoy the added educational experience.”
–Kira Fercho, Artist
“The pieces are largely about where I’m from, my life, and the people I’ve met and had relationships with,” she says. “I love sharing these little bits of stories.”
Aside from painting plein air in the park, Kira will also have a show in Whitefish at the Dick Idol Gallery. The show will be open for the entire month of July.
“It’s such a huge honor to get a one person show in the middle of summer,” Fercho says. “The Dick Idol Gallery has always been so good to me. They get what I do. They’re very good at the client/artist relationship.”
To watch as the stories unfold, check out Kira’s website as she plans to update it in real time with the paintings that will be shown this summer. Fercho is hoping that her show will help tourists and nontourists alike to appreciate their surroundings.
“A large part of my show this summer is connecting people with the history of place,” Fercho says. “It’s important that these locations are revered as sacred lands, not just a beautiful place to visit. I hope people enjoy the added educational experience.”
Going to the Sun | 60” X 60”
◄ Going to the Sun | 60” X 60” The Going to the Sun Road is the only road that transverses Glacier National Park. At an elevation of 6,646 feet (which is the highest point of the road), it crosses the Continental Divide through Logan Pass. Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1932.
“The road borrows its name from nearby Going-to-the-Sun Mountain,” Fercho says. “Local legend, along with a 1933 press release issued by the Department of the Interior, relayed the story of the deity, Sour Spirit, who came down from the sun to teach Blackfoot braves the rudiments of the hunt. Going to the Sun is my homage to the Blackfoot side of Glacier. The warrior stands by himself, between his Heaven and Earth.”
Crow Country | 48” X 48” ► Fercho grew up in the Billings area and still lives there. “The Crow Nation is a sovereign nation in south central Montana. The Crow Tribe, whose original name is Apsaalooke, is the indigenous people of the Crow Nation,” she says.
“Crow Fair is held the third week of August each year,” Fercho says. “My dad’s birthday was August 18th. We would celebrate by going to the Crow Fair. Sometimes we would go for the parade, other times for the dancers and his favorite—the horse races. It’s a spectacular sight to see, with thousands of tipis. No wonder it is called, ‘The Tipi Capital of the World.’”
Crow Country | 48” X 48”
Into the Sun: Two Medicine | 18” X 72”
◄ Into the Sun: Two Medicine | 18” X 72” (Right) This piece has a design that brings the viewer’s eye up from the natural grasses to the horse/rider, and eventually to his final destination. Two Medicine is sacred to the Blackfoot tribe native to Glacier National Park. According to the common lore that gets passed around national parks, Two Medicine was a spot where the Blackfoot underwent their individual vision quests, a time of contemplation, solitude, and spiritual searching to discover one’s purpose and destiny in life.
“I am not Blackfoot. But I feel a spiritual pull whenever I am in Glacier National Park,” Fercho says. “As an artist, I celebrate the beauty and healing power of this area. I also feel the importance of sharing that this is still a Holy Land for the Blackfoot, and we must tread with respect.”
Turquoise World | 6” x 60”
◄Turquoise World | 6” x 60” “I like taking a more traditional subject matter and making it more modern with the shape of the canvas and the design of the painting,” Fercho says. “In this painting, the viewer’s eye starts off with the horse and rider with a bluejay sky backdrop. The viewer ends up at the bottom with the earthly grasses. It’s important to me to have movement in a piece whether it is created with texture or composition. I like my pieces to be interactive.”
“I like taking a more traditional subject matter and making it more modern with the shape of the canvas and the design of the painting.”
–Kira Fercho, Artist
Horses on a Hill | 50” X 50” ► An homage to the “Bleu Horses” by artist Jim Dolan, Fercho’s painting offers a two-dimensional interpretation of Dolan’s three-dimensional, outdoor sculptures. “Every time I pass through this area, just north of Three Forks, Montana, I stop to enjoy a moment of peace,” she says. “My youngest daughter enjoys walking up to the 39-horse sculpture installation, located off of Highway 287. In this piece, I tried to capture the gestures and movement of the blue roans. For me, painting is one third process, one third product, and one third story.”.
Crow Country | 48” X 48”
Grain Castles | 48” X 48”
◄ Grain Castles | 48” X 48” “The French-Canadian side of my family rode their horses into the United States and settled into remote areas of North Dakota,” Fercho says. “They eventually crossed into Montana.” She was raised amongst irrigated wheat and corn fields. They had horses and cattle and lived largely off of their own garden. “In this culture, roles were not clearly defined. Whatever needed to be done, got done. Growing up, my sister and I usually tagged along with my dad and grandpa. As a little girl, I would call grain elevators ‘grain castles.’ They were the only tall buildings that I ever saw!”
Glacier at Dusk | 50” X 50” ► Fercho says that whenever she paints on location in Glacier National Park, she goes at the end of the day. “I get there around 2pm; most visitors are leaving as my truck passes to catch the very last of the light,” she says. “It’s when we have the most beautiful/dramatic sunsets. The mountains are so steep that you get to actually see the sun fall across the tops and through the valleys. As the spectator, you stand somewhere in the middle. It’s a literal Heaven and Earth experience. It’s so magnificent that my mere mortal nature is quieted.”
Glacier at Dusk | 50” X 50”
“I believe that it’s important to recognize and respect that this is a ‘holy land’ for the blackfoot tribe. In summer months, visitors can book tours directly with the tribe and gain their own insight to this powerful place.”
–Kira Fercho, Artist
Fercho has been painting in Glacier for over 20 years. She goes to what she refers to as the “Native side” of the mountain where she can feel the ancients’ presence surrounding her as she paints.
“Today, you can see present/local Blackfoot culture with prayer flags and personal items of recently passed loved ones wrapped around tree trunks,” she says. “I believe that it’s important to recognize and respect that this is a ‘holy land’ for the Blackfoot tribe. In summer months, visitors can book tours directly with the tribe and gain their own insight to this powerful place.” “My work really does have a lifelong impression on people,” she continues. “Montana is iconic, with monumental places. Growing up under the big sky, I understood that.”
