Leaves and Shadow, 12" x 6" oil on panel

Tabby Ivy's journey to creative expression started gradually, and later in life. An avid black and white photographer, she completed the Rocky Mountain School of Photography's Summer Intensive Program in Missoula, after moving to Montana in 1991. The tonal aspects of black and white photography still influence her work, informing her tonalist-leaning style of painting.

The need to expand her artistic vision led her first to watercolor and then to oils after studying the work of classical and contemporary artists. She has been painting in oils for over twenty-five years, with collectors across the US.

After thirty-three years in Montana she now calls Carlton, Oregon, home.

Creative Statement

My paintings often begin when a mood, scene or thought breaks through the everyday to spark an idea or call to creative action. I rely on intuitive spontaneity, curiosity and risk taking to guide me through the painting process. My work is not a literal depiction of a landscape, scene or subject. I purposely strive for my paintings to be evocative and engaging while leaving a bit of mystery and interpretation for the viewer. After thirty-three years in Montana, I now make Carlton, Oregon, home, but the vast Montana landscape will always hold a very special place in my heart and in my work.

"Leaves and Shadow" was painted en plein air in Glacier National Park. While driving near Two Medicine I was looking for a grand vista to paint. However, what I was drawn to was a quiet moment along the side of the road; of shaded trees, the smell of damp leaves and the textures within muted shadows. This painting was the result.