In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Polonius counsels his son Laertes, “To thine own self be true,” offering a sage bit of wisdom that remains relevant four centuries later. In the case of Montana-based landscapist Greg Scheibel, defining and responding to his deep inner “self” became an evolutionary process that required more than two decades to come to fruition.

Although Scheibel was born in Minnesota, the 53-year-old artist has been a Montana resident since he was 12, when his father, a contractor, relocated the family to Bozeman in order help build the Big Sky ski area. “As a hockey player on our local team, I wasn’t too thrilled about moving at the time,” Scheibel says, “but now I realize this represented a fortuitous step along the path in my artistic journey.”

Greg Scheibel

Through the Cattails
Oil
24˝ by 30˝
“This is a spot, just outside Bozeman, where I paint quite often. It’s a public accessible wetlands area that offers year-round subject matter. I was attracted to the variety of color in the shadows and the challenge of composing this frozen landscape.”

Greg Scheibel

Contemporary Radiance
Oil
14˝ by 11˝
“This is a painting of my daughter Nicole working at the computer. She was ready to go out with friends, but had to finish up some homework first. I felt the combination of warm light from above and cool, blue light from the computer screen illuminating my favorite model was worthy of a painting.”