New art gallery and studio opens in Hungry Horse

After 20 summers working on the building and the property, artist Michael Booth and his wife Janet now call Hungry Horse their permanent home.

Booth designed and built the studio, gallery and home on Highway 2 with help from his son, Shane. It just recently opened, with a front yard full of sculptures.

Booth said he was always was pretty good at drawing while in high school — he was once thrown out of an art class in his teens for messing around — but his formal training didn’t start until college. He was 4 1/2 years into a forestry degree when he decided to transition into art.

The Idaho native went on to create and teach art at both the college and high school level for decades. The Hungry Horse venture is a retirement of sorts, though he’s still actively creating pieces.

While many artists stick to one medium, Booth is very diverse in both style and substance. He said he likes to work in series on a theme for an extended period of time.

“Then I get tired and move onto something else,” he said.

His body of work is reflected in the gallery, from abstract expressionism to almost photo realistic paintings of his children when they were young. Some paintings have both — panels that celebrate Glacier National Park are both abstract and include a detailed scene of the park.

He also does sculptures in a variety of forms, from the intricate details of a Native American on a horse, to abstract larger works that adorn the front walkway.

Booth also has a collection of exquisite pottery — both functional and artistic.

The gallery is open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed on Wednesdays in the summer months.