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JOHN DEMOTT Charlie’s Montana oil
30 x 40 inches
$25,000–40,000
e inspiration for this painting, Charlie’s Montana, came out of several trips I made to the Sun River near Augusta, Montana. e painting depicts Charles Russell and his horse Monte on an overlook of the beautiful Sun River, possibly pondering his next masterworks. e North Fork of the Sun meanders down from the Bob Marshall Wilderness and ows generally southward, where it meets up with the South Fork, nally joining the Missouri River in Great Falls.
e Sun River was also called Medicine River by the Blackfeet Indians who ercely fought for control of this stretch of water because of its high mineral content that was used for medicine.
As I walked the banks of the Sun several times, I could not help but notice just how wild this country still is, with grizzly bears, elk, and an abundance of wildlife. I sat on the high banks and wondered what Charlie Russell must have thought when he discovered the beauty of this area near his hometown of Great Falls.
John Demott
