Patrick LaMontagne grew up on the move, spending most of his childhood living in West Germany as a Canadian Armed Forces base brat. In 1994, while in pursuit of a girl, he finally ended up in Banff and the Bow Valley, surrounded by the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.
Having never intended an art career, he didn’t begin to consider it as a profession until his early thirties when he became a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist. In the following years, largely self-taught, he not only honed his artistic skills, but discovered a love of caricature and painting.
In the fall of 2009, experimenting with something new, Patrick painted a funny looking Grizzly Bear and that changed everything.
The detail and brushwork in his digital painting style has often been mistaken for traditional media, and though fortunate to spend most of his days drawing and painting something, his whimsical wildlife paintings give him the most joy. From traveling to take reference photos and spending time with his subjects, to learning more about and supporting conservation efforts, this is the work Patrick feels it has all been leading toward. Two of these digital paintings received Guru Awards at the 2010 Photoshop World Conference in Las Vegas, including the Best in Show. Another one earned the Best in Show in 2014.
In case you were wondering, chasing that girl to Banff turned out pretty well, as she eventually stayed still long enough for them to marry in 1995. They currently reside in Canmore, Alberta where they continue their pursuit of happily ever after.
