Crystal McCallie, a Missoula based artist, has been making art since she was old enough to hold a pencil. For 40 years, McCallie called the Texas Panhandle home where she grew up on a dryland farm. Her great-grandad, a farmer, rancher, and artist had the most impact on her early artistic life, teaching her how to ride and draw horses at only three years old. Later, McCallie attended Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University majoring in art and gaining a strong foundation in draftsmanship. She then discovered the vast world of ceramic art and began making artistic and functional pottery. Eventually, McCallie found herself returning to drawing and became a freelance illustrator. Her commissions include giant full-color poster paintings, pen and ink architectural drawings, portraits, and a full-color 16 page children’s book, Seeds of Hope. Recently, McCallie received a BFA from the University of Montana in drawing and printmaking and is a current MFA graduate student at U of M.
McCallie resides in Missoula, Montana with her husband and four children. She believes it is important to combine her artwork with time with family and is very much inspired by the joys of motherhood.