It’s difficult to neatly place Rocky Hawkins’ paintings in a particular genre or even a painting style. Even though he began his art career in Western Art, he soon became Influenced by several younger members of the 1950’s New York School of artists including Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko. Abstract Expressionism remains a predominate roll in his work while he often stuns and surprises the viewer with his shifting themes as he is constantly seeking new challenges.

Rocky Hawkins was born in 1950 in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in small towns near the Cascade Mountains. He earned his degree at the Burnley School of Professional Art. His art career began with illustration and commercial art; however, this path was unable to satisfy his creative quest for self-expression. As a result, his personal journey led him to New Mexico, and ultimately to Montana.

Hawkins' dynamic style invites viewers on a journey into the mysterious world of the unknown. Many of Hawkins' paintings seem to hold secret passageways detectable only at specific perspectives or distances. Thus, viewers play an active role in what they see. As one of the premier painters in the American West, his work reaches beyond typical representations of the region. His interests lie in the texture of the paintings' surfaces, the relationships of the colors, and in representing what he feels about what he sees. Hawkins' exhibitions include: The Russell: The Sale to Benefit the Museum, Yellowstone Art Museum Auction, Santa Fe Art Auction, and Museum of the Rockies, among others.

Museum of Native American Art, Spokane, WA

David and Connie Clapp, NY

Keilty Collection American Express, CT

Locati Architects, MT

Larson Juhl Corporation, GA

Sam & Sherry Scott, MT

Meredith Corporation, IA

Vital Ground - Doug and Lynne Seus - Park City, UT

Jack and Beverley Grundhofer, CEO US Bank, Livingston, MT and Palm Desert, CA

Kendrick and Linda Wilson, VP Goldman Sachs Livingston, MT and NY

Fred Rowan, III, CEO Carter's Clothing, Atlanta, GA