Biography

Kate Oltmann is an artist living and working in Fortine, Montana. Her artwork is inspired by the community, traditions, and landscapes of northwest Montana, where ranching, rodeos, quilting, gardening, hunting, fishing, and a strong connection to the land remain a part of everyday life.

Drawing inspiration from her family’s history in Glacier National Park and the surrounding communities of today, Kate creates paintings that celebrate the stories, traditions, and hard work that shape the modern West. Her work often features cowboys, wildlife, working animals, and local landscapes, inspired by the people and places she encounters in her daily life.

A signature part of her artwork is the use of quilt patterns. Inspired by local quilt fairs, family history, and the generations of women whose work helped build homes and communities, these patterns are woven into her paintings as symbols of memory, tradition, and belonging.

Kate holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sonoma State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States and Canada and is held in private collections across the country.

When she isn’t in the studio, Kate can usually be found gardening, spending time with her husband and two daughters, or exploring the mountains, rivers, and backroads of northwest Montana.

EDUCATION
2015 MFA Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
2013 BFA Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Manifestations Gallery, Eureka, MT
Western Exposure Fine Art, Kittredge, CO
Cowboy Emporium and Fine Art Gallery, Cheyenne, WY

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Outriders Presents: Paul Cauthen Collaboration, Scout and Gather, Columbia Falls, MT
2024 Bold West, Manifestations, Eureka, MT
2022 SoloS- 7th International Solo Exhibition

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026
ZACC, Missoula, MT
Art of Possibilities, Minneapolis, MN
Unbridled, AR Mitchell Museum, CO
Calgary Stampede, Calgary, AB
Pure West, Dean House, Calgary, AB
Alatheia Fine Art Exhibition, Alatheia Riding Center, WA
Plains Gala, Plains Museum, Fargo, ND
Women’s Show, J.Rome, Gallery, Coeur D’Alene, ID
CAIN 60th National, Cain Gallery, Corpus Christi, TX
Yellowstone 58, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
AVA Art Matters, Gillette, WY
The Russell, CM Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT

2025
Gallery Gala, Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA
Pure West, Calgary, AB, Canada
MoNA Annual Art Exhibition, Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA
Courageously Created, Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center, WA
Cowgirl Gathering, APHA, Fort Worth, TX
Calgary Stampede Main Gallery, Calgary, AB, Canada
Sears Art Museum Invitational, Sears Art Museum, St. George, UT
ZACC Mini Show, Zootown Arts Museum, Missoula, MT
Big Sky Art Museum, Big Sky, MT
Bold West, Manifestations, Eureka, MT
The Russell, C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT
50 Years, 50 Artists: A Celebration of the West, Creative West/WESTAF
Time and Memory, Arts to Hearts, ATH
Element of Sport, Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, AZ

2024
Yellowstone 56, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
Rocky Mountain Regional, Carbon County Arts Guild, Red Lodge, MT
12th Annual Benefit Show, ZACC, Missoula, MT
Cowgirl Gathering, APHA, Fort Worth, TX

2023
The West Through a New Lens, The Parker Center, Denver, CO
22nd Art Matters Exhibition, Gillette, WY
Young Guns, Coors Western Art, Denver, CO
Southern Kindness Gallery, Houston, TX
Manners Maketh Man, Si Gallery, Austin, TX
Arts Council of Big Sky, The Montage, Big Sky, MT
Yellowstone 55, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
6×6, Grants Pass Museum of Art, Grants Pass, OR
Show Pony, Cassens Fine Art, Hamilton, MT
Faculty Show, Sonoma State University, CA

COLLECTIONS
Outriders Presents, Whitefish, MT
Organicann, San Francisco, CA
Dona Frank Foundation, Santa Rosa, CA
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
Warnecke Institute, Healdsburg, CA
Merck and Co., San Francisco, CA
Bennett Valley Mountain, Macdonald Ranch, Santa Rosa, CA
Lynnae Arts, Healdsburg, CA
RISD Museum, Providence, RI
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA

HONORS AND AWARDS
2025
Award Winner, Alatheia Riding Center
50 Years 50 Artists: A Celebration of the West, Creative West, CAFE

2024
Top 10 in Show, AVA Art Center, Gillette, Wyoming