In his much-loved memoir “A River Runs Through It,” writer Norman Maclean famously noted, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing.”

For Brent Cotton, who counts Maclean among his favorite authors, there is no clear line between art and nature, particularly rivers. And for him, both represent a sort of near-religious calling.

“Just as Maclean writes at the end of ‘A River Runs Through It’ that he is ‘haunted by waters,’ so am I,” says Cotton, who strives to evoke similar feelings through his art. “There is something magical and enchanting about flowing water and the way light dances upon it. I’m mesmerized by it. Trying to recreate all of the various qualities—movement, translucency, etc.—is a wonderful challenge.”

Stand before one of Cotton’s riverscapes, lovingly rendered in oils, and you might find yourself transported back to your own favorite river, a stream where you made mud pies as a child, the watering hole to which you led your first horse, or a tributary where you fly-fished your way through a midlife crisis.

Brent Cotton (Montana)

Catching the Light
Oil
40″x48″
“This painting depicts the Bitterroot River in western Montana, my home river. I spend many days on this great trout stream, either fishing, floating, or painting, and it never fails to inspire me. It’s quite common for me to grab the fly rod and tell my wife I’m going to get more . . . reference.”

Brent Cotton (Montana)

Turquoise Roof
Oil
6″x8″
“I discovered this farm on a recent painting/fishing trip, and the complementary colors, combined with the interesting light, really caught my eye. This little piece is a study for a larger studio work that I hope to create at some point.”