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Situated
in the Big Muddy Badlands, just north of the United States border sits the
small town of Bengough, Saskatchewan. It was here Crystal was born in 1962
– The Year of the Thistles. The wheat crop never germinated and the
grasshoppers got the rest. The only hay available consisted of Russian
Thistles, which were baled and fed to the cattle later that year. Raised
with an enduring pioneering spirit, Crystal is a fourth generation farmer
and rancher on both sides of her family. Persevering through hardships as
many others have, her ancestors proved their diversity by successfully
farming and ranching for over a century.
Creating
clay sculptures as a child from the “Rocky Ridge” where her great
grandparents broke the sod, Crystal started her career. This ridge runs
through her family’s land and features buffalo rocks and trails, teepee
rings and a Red River cart trail. It was here Crystal grew up to love the
land and the animals that roamed it. Learning from and listening to the
pioneers that settled the west and helped shape our country, her passion
for preserving and remembering western life was kindled.
Crystal
has added her life experiences, gained through ranching, horse racing,
rodeoing, traveling with Buffalo Bill’s Wild show around the world, and
outfitting in the foothills of Alberta, to her vision of western life,
transforming her natural artistic talent and this intimate knowledge into
authentic and detailed works of art.
Presently
an artist, rancher and mother of two children, Clay and Sierra, Crystal and
her family reside west of Caroline, Alberta and operate Art On the Range
Gallery and Studio. When a spare school bus driver is needed, Crystal
drives for the Wild Rose School Division.
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