Collectible Patches
Artist Series Patches
Celebrate the spirit of patch collecting with the Montana Council’s annual Artist Series patch sets. Every year, we showcase a Montana artist by creating an embroidered rendition of a piece of their artwork.
Sets contain a shoulder, pocket, pocket flap and a large jacket patch, along with an artist bio card highlighting the featured artist and their work.
Previously, we produced non-serialized and serialized sets. Since 2017, however, only 152 serialized sets are made each year – making them even more exclusive and highly sought after.
Collectors can request a specific serial number and continue to receive that same number each year, as long as it remains available.
Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of this elite club. Order yours today!
Karen Savory
An appreciation of both nature and art has always been a part of Karen’s life. Growing up she could never get enough of either. She would beg her dad to take her camping and fishing with the boys and then beg her mom to let her “help” with sewing and painting projects. Now as an adult, she has combined these two loves and creates art that shares her passion for nature and a sustainable life.
Karen made her way West as a young adult and has been lucky to live and work in many beautiful places. Together with her husband, Van, she has traveled by bike and foot, exploring our national lands while cultivating an even deeper appreciation of the value of nature. Today, they call the foothills of the beautiful Bitterroot Mountains of Montana home. They spend their free time wandering off-trail, listening to nature’s song, growing their own food, and doting on their flock of children.
“My art feeds my soul and expresses the utter joy I feel when wandering the mountainsides surrounding my Montana log cabin. The ever-changing colors of a granite wall on a crisp fall morning exhilarate me; the mysteries found in the soil and water fascinate me; and the grandness of the highest peaks and oldest forests humble me. My bright and playful watercolor paintings celebrate nature as the aspen trees dance before me, the coyotes sing, and the wind whispers secrets in my ears.
I am surrounded by inspiration – from the wonderful people who share their lives with me to the awesome beauty of nature. Come take a walk with me. Explore nature’s curiosities, imagine a world healthy, wild, and whole; look, listen, and discover for yourself.”
2017: Big, Bad, And Beautiful – $50
2018: Spring Hatch – $60
Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey
Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey began her painting career in the 1970s, working predominantly in watercolor. Later, Nancy discovered the color and vibrancy of painting with French dyes on crepe de chine silk fabric and quickly adapted her years of water media to express her current work. Cawdrey is applauded for creating her signature western motif paintings, vibrant florals, and commanding wildlife masterworks. Her work can be found in collections around the world, beautifully custom-framed in museum-quality materials.
In 2020, Nancy was honored to launch a one-woman traveling museum exhibit titled “Forever Glacier” which focuses on the mammals native to Glacier National Park. The collection contains twenty-five large-format original silk paintings depicting Glacier’s variety of mammals, habitats, and landscapes. The exhibit’s inaugural show was hosted by the C.M. Russell Museum and later traveled to the prestigious Booth Western Art Museum.
Nancy also teaches silk painting workshops multiple times a year. For the past 14 years, she has led a workshop at Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, MT, a five-star resort and member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux.
Nancy is a founding member of the Russell Skull Society of Artists and has regularly participated in The Russell: A Sale to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum. She has shown at the National Cowboy Museum’s Small Works, Great Wonders show, the National Cowgirl Museum, the Gilcrease Museum, and various other shows across the country. In 2010, her art was selected to be an Official Glacier Park Centennial Art piece, and Nancy became an Official Centennial Artist chosen by the Glacier National Park 2010 Centennial Committee. Honors include being the Featured Artist at the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival 30th Anniversary, where Nancy’s painting set a new auction record, and numerous years as “People’s Choice” at the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale in Cody, Wyoming. Nancy’s work is included in the stellar “Night of Artists” show at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas.
Nancy is represented by Cawdrey Gallery in Whitefish, Montana; West Lives On Contemporary Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Big Horn Galleries in Cody, Wyoming, and Tubac, Arizona; and the San Francisco Street Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Artist Statement
“I paint with French dyes on Crepe de Chine silk, a technique I discovered on a Hawaiian camping trip. After painting for years with oil and watercolor, the brightness and transparency of the dyes were very appealing to me. My contemporary style of Western subject matter developed over a lifetime of adventure. I grew up all over the world and eventually settled with my husband in Montana, ready to absorb the Western way of life. I infuse the spirit of the West and my world experiences into each silk painting I create.”
2019: Canis Latrans – $80
2020: Ovis Canadensis – $80
Cliff Rossberg
Cliff Rossberg is an artist who is inspired by the world around him. His studio and home are located south of Great Falls, Montana, along the banks of the Missouri River. Much of his inspiration comes from his backyard and home state. Cliff is an avid outdoor photographer who spends several weeks every year in national parks and throughout Montana in search of ideas for future works. He believes those firsthand experiences allow him to more accurately convey the personality and spirit of the subject.
His work has been featured in many notable journals, including Western Art Collector, Art of the West, Wildlife Art, U.S Art, Signature Montana, Montana Outdoors, and the Montana Magazine. Rossberg’s images have won many accolades and awards.
His oil, “She’s a Lady” won the “People’s Choice – Best Painting” award at the 2010 C.M. Russell Art Auction. In 2006, his work was selected for the prominent Arts for the Parks show in Jackson, WY. Other major awards include winning the 1999 and 2001 Montana Waterfowl Stamp, the 2000 Kentucky Trout Stamp, and the 1999 Delaware Trout Stamp.
His work is included in many permanent collections, such as the Montana Museum of Art and Culture and the Montana State Fair. Cliff is honored that his collectors appreciate his work, and he continually strives to create quality paintings. Currently, his focus is on painting show pieces, gallery works, and working with collectors to create personal commissions. Updates on Cliff and his paintings can be found at www.rossbergart.com.
2021: Among The Daisies – $80
2022: Bull's Eye – $80
Gary Lynn Roberts
Carrying on the Western tradition in oils, Gary Lynn Roberts is a third-generation artist. He has been painting since the age of 14, growing up in an atmosphere permeated by art. His major influence was his father, noted Western artist Joe Rader Roberts. In addition to his father’s training, he received one-on-one training from many of America’s finest artists, including G. Harvey and A.D. Greer. Gary has taken this experience and molded it into his own style, a mixture of Realism and Impressionism.
Gary Lynn’s work encompasses the time when cattle drives, Indian encampments, and cowboys on horseback were prevalent. He feels he has a spiritual connection with this period of American History. Gary’s extensive knowledge of his subject matter has come from his experience in training horses and performing in rodeos at an early age. It has enhanced his ability to paint horses and western wildlife in environments that accurately display their personalities.
Gary Lynn’s work has been featured on the cover of national magazines. His work hangs in various museums and art collections across America. He has won several awards over the years from museums across the United States.
Gary Lynn and his wife, Nancy, currently reside in Stevensville, Montana.
2023: White Water Wreck – $80
2024: Ruth 1:16 – $80
Steven Oiestad
Born and raised on a ranch near Big Timber, Montana, Oiestad spent his childhood years studying and sketching the animals in his environment. He received a degree in Agricultural Education from Montana State University, and shortly after was chosen to represent the United States on agricultural exchange programs to both Poland and Africa.
Oiestad moved to Great Falls in the late 1980s, where his passion for art was once again renewed, thanks to an incredible group of artists and the art community that resides in this area.
A 35-year veteran of the C.M. Russell Auction, he has participated in many quick-draws during those years. In 2004, Steven was honored with the prestigious “Honorary Chairman’s Award” at the C.M.Russell art auction.
Other achievements include shows at the C.M.Russell Museum, the Montana Governor’s mansion, the Dana Gallery, and Hodges Fine Art. Oiestad was chosen to be “artist in residence” at Glacier National Park in 2003. Five times he has been chosen for the “National Pastel Top 100” in the nation. Lean’n Tree Cards Inc. regularly publishes his work, and he is a signature member of the Montana Painters Alliance.
Working from his home and studio in the beautiful Sun River Valley, not far from Great Falls, Oiestad’s concentration is mainly on the American cowboy and landscapes of present-day America.