the Artist
Gary Lynn Roberts
Born and raised in Texas, but long settled in the Bitterroot Valley of Western Montana with his wife Nancy and daughters Mary & Anna. Gary Lynn Roberts has been a painter and lover of Western beauty his entire life. 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 being his father, noted Western artist Joe Rader Roberts. In addition to his fathers 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.
Garry'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 which accurately display their personalities. He has a natural aptitude for how a horse will behave under various situations.
Gary Lynn's work has graced covers of national magazines. His work hangs in various museums and art collections across America. He has won several "Gold" and "Best of Show" awards at the Texas Ranger Museum & Hall of Fame. Gary Lynn is also a favorite at the C.M. Russell Show in Montana. Inspired by his father and his Christian faith, he is "living his dream" (see the article below).
'I'm living my dream'
Article by Myrna Zanetell
Art of the West Magazine, Jul-Aug 2009
"Ask Montana-based artist Gary Lynn Roberts what defines his life and to what he attributes his growing success as a Western painter, and he doesn't hesitate for a moment before responding that it was his strong faith in God. 'I've been blessed and highly favored by the gifts God has given me: a truly supportive family, my talents as an artist, and this beautiful country in which to live,' he says. 'My faith is everything, and I believe that faith is what allows me to be who I am and to paint the way I do.'
Born in 1953, Roberts was raised in the small town of Channelview, just east of Houston, Texas. The son of Joe Raider Roberts, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he would continue his father's legacy as a highly regarded painter of the Western genre. "For as long as I can remember, all I ever wanted to do was be a painter,"Roberts says. 'My dad had been bitten by the same bug in his youth, but in the 1950s and '60s, you couldn't make enough money to support a family as a fine artist, so he built a sign painting business while establishing his reputation as a Western painter.'
In his warm Texas drawl, Roberts adds, 'I kind of got my start the same way. By the time I was 14 years old, I was helping dad out by painting signs on grocery store windows, listing the special for the week and, during the holiday season, my assignments might include Santa Clauses or Easter Bunnies. This was all hand work, lettering, and even figures done with a brush, so sign painting was actually very good training.' At 16, Roberts had established what he refers to as 'a good little sign business of my own' and had also begun to sell his Western canvases at regional art and craft shows."
More articles and info online about Gary Lynn Roberts: