More information

BEN MILLER
Gallatin River, MT 3/25/22
Endangered Rivers Series
acrylic on polycarbonate
48 x 96 inches

This painting was literally on an ice flow in the middle of the Gallatin watershed as the winter runoff was ripping down the valley and melting was happening in real time on a 60 degree day. The four by eight piece of Acrylic was heated with two heaters but with the sun as vibrant as ever, the drying process happened more naturally than with the artificial heat. An orange undertone dominated the sediment over the stream bed and the place selected to paint had a difference in current speed that would help add to the moves of regulating the horizontal speed in the painting. Looking across the current of the river the runoff was at about a two foot visibility but was not allowing the stream bed to be seen through the most turbulent part of the flow towards the opposite bank.

The Gallatin River is seeking Federal status as Wild and Scenic to combat the influx of population growth along its banks. There are constant threats as to how the Gallatin River is to remain a freestone well cared for stream as the volume of water cascading down its banks is a relatively small stream and the amount of folks that use it is ever increasing.