“It's similar to the grizzlies we painted for Missoula that were on display around here,” Tim said. According to his wife, his grizzly, adorned with 40 portraits of famed Griz athletes, brought a top bid of more than $16,000 and now proudly sits in the University of Montana's Hall of Fame.

“Doing work for the University is my favorite since I'm such a big Griz fan,” Tim said. He was commissioned to make a print in honor of the football team's 2001 national championship. Since then, he continues to create sports artwork that becomes posters, postcards and even an etched mirror for his friend's Griz-themed family room.

Before delivering the buffalo to West Yellowstone this weekend, Tim and Jennifer took the impressive piece on a short tour to Hamilton schools for their children's classes to see the final product.

“Kids respond to him; teachers appreciate his talents, so we find ourselves at the schools a lot,” Jennifer said.

Out on the lawn of Washington School, first-graders pressed their noses to the windows as they watched Tim unload the large, yet-lightweight, fiberglass buffalo from his trailer. First-grade teacher Danyelle Johnson brought 7-year-old Mark Joyner and his friends out on the grass to see the masterpiece up close.

“My dad did that,” said Mark to his friend as the rest of the students admired the dramatic paint design and sculpted winter scene of elk sitting near a hot springs surrounded by cascading layers of ice and rock.

“I think it's cool,” said first-grader Emily Derricott.

“This is really nice. I hope I could paint like that someday,” said classmate Lee Daniel Mullett.

One teacher explained to the students “when you paint in class, it's just like this only on paper.”

In awe, first-grader Konnor Woodburn said, “I've never seen anything like this before.”

He agreed with his teacher Michelle Holeman that it was “magnificent.”

It's risky for Tim to bring such an intricate project for show and tell to a bunch of kids who not only want to see, but also touch, smell and ride on it.

“It smells like paint and it smells hideous,” said one boy with a smile, “but I do have a good smeller.”

It wasn't long before many kids got on their hands and knees to see all sides of the 3-D buffalo.

“It's got a chin,” said one boy.

“It's definitely a boy,” said another girl.

As a group of boys pointed out the buffalo's eyes, ears and horns, first-grader Bridger Bauder said his favorite part was the waterfall sculpted on the animal's side.

“I really think that it's cute and I love it,” said Sheridan Rose Jensen as she was scurried back to class with some straggling admirers.

Before the bell rang for the end of the school day, Tim and Jennifer drove across town to Daly Elementary to show the buffalo to their daughter's third-grade class.

Kerry Hanson brought out a well-trained third-grade audience who knew how to stand in a semicircle around the piece, listen intently to Tim's description of his work, and wait to ask questions one by one.

“How did you come up with this idea,” asked one boy. And Tim described his inspiration that came from a photograph of Yellowstone elk sitting in a hot springs.

“I actually told them no I couldn't do the project, because I thought I used up my best buffalo idea for Great Falls (fundraiser),” Tim confessed. “But they asked me to submit an idea anyway, so I did. It wasn't anything like this, but once I started the ideas have evolved from there.”

One economically-minded third-grader asked, “Did they pay you for this?”

Tim's gracious analogy was, “This project, it was like homework, only funner.”

As the bell rang for the end of the day and kids hurried to gather backpacks and find the bus, some admirers lingered a little longer.

“It looks so real,” said third-grader Isaac Fry.

“I think it's sweet,” said classmate Taylor Bess. “It looks so difficult making all the drops of snow, especially the carving - it's amazing.”

Avery Joyner stood close to the buffalo as a few classmates inspected the details.

“My dad made it,” she said proudly, followed quickly by “Don't touch. It doesn't have the protective spray yet.”

Starting with a “naked” grey buffalo on March 1, Tim used acrylic paint and carvable foam to create what he calls a “snow-covered buffalo with a mammoth hot springs and elk inhabitants.”

After several weeks of work, he said he's still not quite finished. No doubt he'll be touching up leftover fingerprints from Thursday afternoon's art show. And once the family leaves for West Yellowstone he said he's not opposed to pulling over by side of the road and adding a little paint if more inspiration comes.

Tim was 4 years old when his parents recognized his talent for drawing and painting. “I grew up in Great Falls attending the Charlie Russell auctions and my parents did all they could to help me pursue this,” he said.

These days, his family continues to be his greatest supporters and most appreciative recipients of his work. He has painted his daughter's bedroom transforming the walls into a vibrant jungle; his son's room is a larger-than-life Spiderman comic book. They also enjoy a two-story playhouse painted to look like a stone castle. Tim's studio is also in the backyard where he creates western art on all kinds of mediums - glass, clay, leather, wood and regular canvas.

Tim loves what he does, even enough to give it away.

To see more of Tim Joyner's work, visit his Web site www.joynerart.com

Stacie Duce can be reached at 363-3300 or sduce@ravallirepublic.com

---

Reader's Comments >>

Name:

Email: (optional)

Comments:

Image Verification: (Case sensitive)   

---