From a young age, Ekalaka native Clinton Lesh witnessed how the hands of a man through agriculture could shape the often inhospitable elements of the Montana landscape. He has since adapted the tools and materials once used to build a barb-wire fence into a new form. Lesh is an artist, a creator, a storyteller: a metal sculptor. He works primarily with steel, fire, acid and a vast array of tools.

Currently a large piece of Lesh's artwork is on display at a newly renovated building in Billings, Montana. The building, formerly the Montana National Bank, now serves as home to Big Sky Economic Development.

BSED has offices on the third floor of the bank building, the second floor is a training and education space available to the community, and the first floor and lower level is an incubator, accelerator and coworking space dedicated to serving and connecting entrepreneurs called Rock31.

As not only an artist but also an entrepreneur from southeastern Montana, it seems fitting that Lesh has artwork on loan to BSED hanging on the main floor. CCHS graduate and Director of Marketing at BSED Marcell Bruski was instrumental in making that happen.

"She was in charge of the art," Lesh told the Eagle on Tuesday. "It was sure nice of her to think of me."

Lesh graduated from high school at Baker in 2015 and headed to Bozeman to attend Montana State University. After he spent three years working towards an Ag Business degree, a change of heart led him to pursuing a Studio Arts degree. He finished his schooling in 2021.

About a month before he graduated from MSU, a friend introduced Lesh to Jim Dolan.

Dolan is a metal sculptor with a career spanning more than four decades. His portfolio includes over 170 large-scale public pieces world-wide and hundreds of private pieces. His most well-known installation is the "Bleu Horses."

After speaking with Dolan, Lesh started a six-month stint of employment with the artist and spent the majority of his time helping Dolan with his artwork. Lesh said that Dolan took time to show him the business aspect of being an artist and helped him hone his abilities.

"He really showed me what not to do."

Lesh eventually transitioned and started spending about 50 hours per week creating his own sculptures, and 10 helping Dolan finish pieces.

Primarily focusing on small scale work at first, Lesh decided to divert his attention to larger scale projects while expanding his knowledge of different materials and techniques.

"I thought it would be cool to make my own bison. I'd helped Jim with bison before and wanted to do one in my own style."

The bison Lesh created is what is now on display in the BSED building. Lesh says it's about 120 percent the size of a bison mount and weighs around 250 pounds. It's constructed entirely of steel.

"I'm not an expert welder, but I'm pretty good with a grinder," Lesh said about creating the piece. "And bigger pieces are basically just painting with a bigger brush. I like using power tools"

The biggest piece Lesh has created is a steel sculpture of an eagle grabbing a rattlesnake. The eagle's wingspan is about 9 feet.

Inside Lesh's sculptures you will find Western Spirit, untamed. His upbringing is a key factor in the inspiration and the subject of his artwork. The source of his inspiration comes from the profound beauty of the natural landscape and animals as well as the agriculture that surrounded him growing up in Ekalaka. He strives to represent agriculture and wildlife in a positive light.

courtesy photo

The bison on display at the BSED building in Billings is for sale, as are other pieces of art Lesh has created. Pictures and more information can be found on his website at http://www.clintonleshsculptures.com. Lesh can also be reached at 406-850-9115 for more information or to inquire about commissioned pieces.