Robert Spannring at the Hilton Garden Inn

April 4th, 2024

Back in October of 2022, the new owners of the Hilton Garden Inn south of downtown Kalispell contacted us to discuss the installation of artwork in their newly renovated hotel! After an initial meeting, we created a collection that met three criteria:

Artists that the Hilton owners personally respond to

Artwork that coordinates with the new hotel aesthetic

Subjects that are connected to Montana themes

After an initial meeting, the FoR Fine Art team visited the Hilton Garden Inn to view the spaces and plan for the artwork placement—not an easy task without the walls painted or furniture in place! The proposal included work from Amy Brakeman Livezey, Johne Richardson, Nancy Seiler, Robert Spannring, and JC Spock.

An ink wash piece featuring a prominent bull trout in the foreground with a row boat holding two fishermen above.

Robert Spannring, a lifelong Montanan, has been an artist for over 40 years. During the first twenty years of his career, Robert worked as an illustrator and watercolorist, developing his skills in drawing and painting.

Although he is now also known for his paintings and sculptures, he remains true to his beginnings with lively ink washes. His work explores the vast western experience to create works of art with symbolic images of wild animals and iconic landmarks. For the Hilton project, he was commissioned to create Bull Trout paintings to symbolize the blue ribbons of Kalispell streams and rivers. His gestural hand-drawn pen washes and the application of lush oil color vividly embody the spirit of the pieces!

A view of a large stone fireplace with deep blue and brown furniture, a geometric chandelier, and a large ink wash painting above the mantel depicting six bull trout swimming across the canvas.

We truly enjoyed this project and love to see original art with local themes at businesses in the Flathead Valley! Want to learn more about the artwork at the Hilton Garden Inn? We have posts highlighting each artist!