Lillegard will be featured at museum

Former Havre resident Steve Lillegard is well known for his Western and wildlife pieces and is now receiving acclaim for his poignant sculptures of children.

Bronze sculptures by Lillegard will be on display in the Clack Museum Gallery from Wednesday through June 30. They can also be seen on Lillegard's Web site at http://www.sculptmontana.com.

An artist's reception will be Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. It is free and everyone is welcome to view his work.

Lillegard's interest in art began when he was a child on the family ranch near Stanford, not far from where Charlie Russell lived when he first came to Montana.

Winning several awards during his school years inspired Lillegard to pursue a career in art. He studied graphic design and fine art in college and then worked for a period as a graphic artist.

In 1981 he returned to Stanford to pursue an interest in sculpture. He thoroughly researched the process of casting bronze and built his foundry. He made his first bronze casting in late 1982.

His first success came in 1983 when he created a sculpture of a locally famous white wolf to commemorate Stanford's 75th anniversary. In 1984, he was selected from about 30 competitors to create a life-size Revolutionary War "Patriot." Since then he has personally made about 2,000 castings, which can be found in private and corporate collections worldwide. Lillegard's sculptures have won numerous awards, including best of show and people's choice.

Lillegard's attention to detail, knowledge of anatomy and mastery of the lost wax process merge to create art that will stand the test of time.