Jerry iverson
Paint Your life: Early oil Paintings
10.21.25 - 12.30.25
“I was raised on a farm in South Dakota. The 1960’s were a wild, but hopeful time to come of age. Vietnam, JFK, MLK, Dylan, Beetles, Stones, Jimi, James Brown all entered even the milk barns of Dakota.
In 1969, upon turning 18, I registered for the draft as a conscientious objector. I went to St Olaf College in Minnesota and studied philosophy. During my summers at school, I had the great fortune to get a job working on a cattle ranch near Big Timber.
After graduation, I drifted around for a couple of years, then moved to Big Timber, and learned how to shear sheep and pack horses. Though I had always liked art and had visited some of the great museums, I was never interested in making art…” (continued below)
“It wasn’t until spending many summers in the solitude of Absorka Beartooth Wilderness sheep camps, that I started to draw and paint. Why? I don’t know for sure, partly from the inspiration of dramatic beauty and severe weather, and partly from just plain curiosity and lots of time.
It was satisfying to try to represent a thought or observation. Eventually, I wanted to share these thoughts and observations with others, so I contacted a dear artist friend from my college days (Christian Peltenburg Brechneff). I sent him photographs of this art. His response was enthusiastic, encouraging, and he gave me some advice: “Paint your life”…
29 x 36 in. | Oil on Linen | 1989
29 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1994
30 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1993
31 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1995
31 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1994
30 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1992
“So, I did. I made colorful, figurative oil paintings of things I saw and places I visited. At the same time, I made abstract, black and white expressions of thoughts and emotions. The figurative oil paintings were about my outside world, and the black and white abstractions were about my inside world…”
36 x 30 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1993
31 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1996
29 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1996
36 x 30 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1996
“I’m not sure why, but in 1996, I stopped using color and figure, and kept making black and white art. Hmm… you just never know.
The paintings in this show have been buried for a long time. It’s been fun to see them again and reflect upon those days.”
- Jerry Iverson
27 x 32 in. | Oil on Board | 1990
39 x 21 in. | Oil on Cardboard | 1991
36 x 29 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1991
30 x 36 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1992
36 x 30 in. | Oil on Canvas | 1991
Jerry and his wife, Linda, still live on their ranch in Big Timber along with their golden retriever, Pinkie. They’ve created such a meaningful impact on this community (and many others) — we feel so lucky to showcase Jerry’s earliest works.