(b. 1951)
Clyde Aspevig spent his childhood on a Montana Farm near the Canadian border. That period of geographical and cultural isolation was in retrospect a blessing for the artist, he recalls. "Because I grew up in a vacuum in Montana, I wasn't taught the cliches." Aspevig sees such naivete as allowing him to be open to everything around him, which is evident in his art work. He was encouraged by his family to pursue art, and learned early on to work hard and persevere against obstacles both natural and manmade.
Aspevig considers his paintings as old friends and visual souvenirs of places experienced in his life. The viewer also shares in his magical evocations of the landscapes that touched him. He believes that painting expresses human emotion better than any other medium. His intent is to create something beautiful and harmonic. While subject matter is of prime consideration, further contemplation of the painting eventually yields its subtle nuances of texture and rhythm. His paintings of the West are not theatrical sets intended to reinforce regional mythology, but rather evocation of places that he perceives as already disappearing during his own lifetime, subjects worthy of both artistic and societal preservation. His paintings depicting nature reflect Aspevig's days of absorbing his natural surroundings, and sees the true value of preserving the last islands of wilderness.
While his early efforts attracted awards and critical praise from the regional or "Western" sector of the art community, Clyde's work has since emerged to be highly sought after by world class collectors.