Malone featured artist at Northern

From Office of Diversity Awareness and Multicultural Programs

During the month of April, the guest artist at Montana State University-Northern's Office of Diversity Awareness and Multicultural Programs is Ned Malone.

Malone's featured piece is the 17.5-inch by 23.5-inch drawing "Chief Medicine Crow."

He said his inspiration was a photograph that he found in an old book several years ago. He added that it took a great deal of time to draw this piece.

He originally decided to create it to exchange it with a colleague. He was going to trade a sculpture for his drawing. However, during the creative process, his colleague sold the sculpture. Malone said he was OK with this decision because his friend "kind of needed the money," he said.

  "I love Native American art," Malone said.

He said he started painting with acrylic and then he moved to work with oil. His preference is to paint outdoors.

"Although during summer time, you might deal with wind," he said, "I still prefer to paint outside. Actually, I have a technique to secure my easel. I fell in love painting outdoors as I took a workshop painting outdoors several years ago. Light is always better outside."

Malone's creative process is somewhat seasonal. During spring and summer, he likes to paint outdoors, but during the frigid Montana winters that this native of Havre has experienced his entire life, he draws indoors. Now that he has retired, he enjoys dedicating more time to his art.

"I always wanted to paint, but I was too shy," he said.

Northern's Office of Diversity Awareness and Multicultural Programs invites local and regional artists to exhibit their pieces, preferably those that have some link to multicultural themes. For more information, people can contact [email protected] or call 265-3589.