Thompson opens his studio during Tour of Arts this weekend

SEELEY LAKE - Scott Thompson is a woodcarver and acrylic painter who is one of several participating artists in Alpine Artisans' upcoming Tour of the Arts.

Thompson is originally from Butte, but he moved to Willow, Alaska in 1990 where he currently lives. He bought property in Seeley Lake two years ago and now plans to spend three to four months out of the year in the area.

He chose to move to Seeley Lake because his family would frequently drive through the town on their way to Kalispell. In addition, he discovered that some of his extended family bought property in the town so he also purchased some to be closer to them.

Thompson's wood carving work comes both in the forms of small handmade pieces and chainsaw carvings. Both his 2D and 3D art primarily focuses on wildlife and capturing animals in their natural habitat.

He did not formally study art in school although he did pick up some skills from his mother who was also an artist.

My mom was a wonderful artist," Thompson said. "So there was always art supplies around the house. 

He developed a passion for woodcarving while in Boy Scouts when he began whittling soap with a pocketknife. Over the years he practiced his craft and went on to bigger materials.

Many of his carving influences were obscure figures in the woodcarving scene like Bob King and Scott Hanson. He learned how to paint from William "Bill" Cross who was a "well known Alaskan artist having painted for over 40 years" according to his obituary.

For several years Thompson was a hobby artist although he began selling his pieces at small bazaars in Montana in the early '90s. 

While living in Alaska, he joined a local snow sculpting competition where he had to complete a sculpture by the end of a week. The next year he joined a three-man group.

"It's a huge thing that you can carve really pretty quick," Thompson said. "It takes some technical skills and timing. It's a bit of an athletic event because it has to be done in a certain time."

In the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championship, Thompson and his team had three days to complete their sculpture. His team competed nationally four times and won twice.

In Alaska, Thompson said he is known for going outside the borders in his pieces in order to add depth. He was also known for using fish as his subjects, eventually attracting the attention of Fish Alaska Magazine.

The magazine took notice of Thompson's artwork because their booth was near his at the Great Alaska Sportsman Show. His booth contained several pieces of fishing artwork that piqued their interest. The editors wanted to add more artwork to the magazine instead of just photos so Thompson was commissioned to create several covers for the publication.

He opened his gallery named Willow Creek Studio in 2011. It began with 13 artists and has grown to 70 over the years. He likes to consider his studio as creating "microjobs" where participating artists can make supplemental income even if the amount produced is not sustainable on its own.

"I think it contributes financially to the community and that it does spin money around the community," Thompson said. "Culturally it adds to the society because it's just, you know 'art is art' as people will say. I mean just little kids doing art and stuff is fun. We do a lot of kid's classes and stuff [in Alaska]. It just makes the community better."

Currently Thompson sells most of his work through his gallery or on Facebook. With the help of new technology, he is able to make replicas of his carvings with a computer numerical control or CNC machine so they can be reproduced more easily. On his Etsy page, he sells 3D CNC designs so that those who also own the machine can replicate said designs.

This is Thompson's first time participating in the Tour of the Arts. He said he wanted to join this year because he wanted to be a more active participant in Seeley Lake's local art scene. This is not his first public tour, however, as his studio in Alaska was regularly open to visitors and featured several classes.

Thompson has been using Seeley Lake as inspiration for his art with one of his recent pieces last year being based off of the Rice Ridge area. He also collects photos he intends to use as reference material in the future.

Thompson will demonstrate his woodcarving skills from 2 - 3 p.m. Oct. 10 and 11 where he will carve eagle sculptures out of wood in his workshop. Willow Creek Studio is located at 372 S Monture Court, Seeley Lake.

More information about the eight stops and 25 participating artists in the Tour can be found at https://www.alpineartisans.org/tour-of-the-arts.