Montana Poet Laureate Michael Earl Craig reads from his work at The Elling House in Virginia City on Saturday, May 27. PHOTO BY SUSAN THOMAS
EBS STAFF
The Elling House Arts & Humanities Center will host a reading by current Montana Poet Laureate Michael Earl Craig on Saturday, May 27. The event begins with a meet and greet at 6 p.m. after which Craig will read new poems as well as previously published work at 7 p.m.
Craig is a farrier who lives just outside of Livingston with his wife, Susan, her mule, Ben, and a dog. He has an antiquated lifestyle, preferring to use nonelectric tools, manual typewriters, old fashioned bicycles, anvil and hammer, and his hands. He personifies rural values in that he makes his living from working with horses, but fortunately for his readers, he is also an intellectual and one of the preeminent poets of our day.
Craig has been recognized internationally for his literary prowess and was appointed the Montana Poet Laureate in October 2015. He is the author of “Can You Relax in My House” (2002), “Yes, Master” (2006), “Thin Kimono” (2010), and “Talkativeness” (2014). His work has been included in the anthologies “Isn’t It Romantic” (2004), Everyman’s Library’s “Poems About Horses” (2009), and “The Best American Poetry” (2014).
Published in prestigious contemporary presses, Craig has been a contributor to Poetry Magazine, The New Yorker, The Believer, TriQuarterly, Granta, the journal of the Poetry Society of America and many more publications.
His poems have been translated into Dutch and Chinese, and he has been invited to read in cities all over the country and serve as a visiting writer at various universities. Craig was a panelist for the Elk River Writer’s Workshop and has been a presenter at both the High Plains BookFest in Billings, and the Montana Book Festival in Missoula.
The Elling House Arts & Humanities Center is located at 404 E. Idaho St. in Virginia City. Call (406) 843-5507 or visit ellinghouse.org for more information.
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.