About Allison
Allison McGree · Artist, educator, and sixth-generation Montanan
I paint the West the way it feels from the inside.
Rivers that hold the light. Skies charged with weather. Mountains you feel long after you leave them. These are the places I return to, and the feelings I bring to the canvas.
I’m Allison, a contemporary western landscape painter born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. As a sixth-generation Montanan, my connection to this place runs deep. I’ve worked in my artist-owned downtown Bozeman studio since 2002. My original work is available right here on my website, directly from me to you.
Montana is my subject. Energy is my material.
I work in acrylic, oil, and mixed media, building layers of color and mark that move between abstraction and place. I also create hand-cast sculpted reliefs: mountain landscapes with a physical dimension that changes with the light. I’m endlessly inspired by Montana’s steep verticals, weather-charged skies, and rivers that hold light differently depending on the hour.
My process begins intuitively, often with a letter to the canvas before a single stroke of paint. I work from that place of listening. There is always more: more light, more dimension, more feeling tucked into a ridgeline or a stretch of open water. I’ve never stopped looking at Montana with fresh eyes.
In The Sacred Grove, that connection to place meets the Celtic Ogham tree alphabet. Paintings and sculpted reliefs grow toward a full 20-tree alphabet, with custom family-tree commissions as an offshoot.
Find the work that feels like you.
An original, just for your wall
Explore my available original paintings and sculpted reliefs. One-of-a-kind work, signed and made by my hand in Montana.
A story rooted in your family
My Sacred Grove family-tree commissions bring your names and lineage into a painted oak, creating an heirloom that belongs to you.
A little Montana, every day
Bring art into everyday life with calendars and gifts, or explore fine-art prints in my external print shop.
Making art and sharing it are, to me, the same act.
Alongside my studio practice, I teach Art Methods at Montana State University, working with preservice and in-service educators to bring meaningful, student-centered art education into K–12 classrooms. I’ve taught Art Methods at MSU since 2023 and supervised student teachers since 2016.
My teaching spans painting, drawing, sculpture, stained glass, batik, printmaking, mural design, and more. It has reached learners from preschool through 60+, across rural, urban, and underserved communities throughout Montana.
From 2012 to 2023, I founded and directed Project MArt (More Art) Inc., leading more than 20 public murals and residencies in schools, senior centers, and community spaces. I’ve served as a Teaching Artist with the Montana Arts Council since 2002 and am a Lifetime Arts Certified Teaching Artist in the 60+ Creative Aging Program.
Art belongs in everyday life, whether that means mentoring a new painter, helping a teacher bring creativity into a classroom, or creating a mural a whole community can call its own. My experience as a strength and conditioning coach at Altitude Athletics reflects that same belief: whole-person wellbeing and creative practice are deeply connected.
Montana Born, made together
In 2026, I founded Montana Born, a Western fine-art collective, with founding artists Kelley J. Sullivan and Hannah Uhde. We debuted at the Western Design Conference in Bozeman, where I introduced The Sacred Grove. It’s another way of bringing Montana’s creative voices together and sharing the work with collectors.
A life built around art
My work is held in private collections nationwide and has been featured in The Art Chowder and The Scout Guide Bozeman. My murals and installations include a sculpted relief mural at The Resort at Paws Up, a drift boat mural for Mackenzie River Pizza Co. in Bozeman, and the Downtown Bozeman Community Mural.
Education & recognition
- MA, Holistic Arts Programming, Practice & Outreach, Prescott College (2013)
- BA, K–12 Art Education, summa cum laude, Montana State University (2005)
- BA, Fine Art, magna cum laude, Gonzaga University; Senior Art Award recipient (2002)
- Graduate coursework in AI in Art Education, Art of Education University (2026)
- Montana Arts Council Artist in Residence & Mentor (2002–present)
- Made in Montana Certified Artist
- Lifetime Arts Certified Teaching Artist, 60+ Creative Aging Program
- Montana Arts Council Strategic Investment Grant recipient (2011, 2012, 2024, 2026)
- MSU Teaching Innovation Grant, “Integrating Visual Arts & Tech” (2025–26)
View my full CV and download my artist CV or educator résumé →
Read my conversation with CanvasRebel (opens in a new tab) →
Bring a piece of Montana home.
Find an original that speaks to you, or tell me about the place, person, or story you’d love to see in paint. I’ll help you find your way.