The only thing that would make Gary Carter's studio "absolutely perfect", he says, "is if someone else is paying for it!"

Carter worked with Bill Selvedge, a Boise, Idaho, architect, to design a studio that would afford him the room to work while surrounded with his "stuff", his railroad, saddles, mannequins, war bonnets, guns, books, and assorted other paraphernalia. "The studio was designed to keep me at the board instead of wasting time fishing, riding, or tinkering on the cars in the barn," he says. "I must say it worked, because I love going to my room with all my stuff."

Carter's "room" is actually a 1600-square- foot studio, complete with a loft where he does most of his research and drawing, when he isn't looking through his spotting scope for trout or spying on the otters in the cove. A reconditioned old potbellied stove that actually works and a comfortable old chair add to the comfort of the loft. "The loft is kind of like a conversation area," says Carter, who finds the perfect spot to do his conceptual work.

The studio features cathedral style windows facing north and south with vertical blinds to control the amount and direction of incoming light. The southern exposure was important for solar warmth as well as for the view of a lake, pasture, and mountains it provides.

The studio's 22-foot ceiling allows Carter to set up a tipi if he so desires, but also necessitated the installation of ceiling fans to help push warm air down to his working area, which is in the middle of the room. At an elevation of nearly 7000 feet and with temperatures that occasionally reach minus 45 degrees in West Yellowstone, Montana, building anything also requires plenty of insulation and double and triple-glazed windows. Carter also installed an air exchange system that ionized pollutants and changes the air up to 12 times an hour.

Built-in tracks with multiple, directional fixtures and color-balanced spots and floods fill Carter's lighting needs. He also placed electrical outlets every 12 feet in covered receptacles in the floor and included a liberal sprinkling of phone jacks and television coaxial outlets. Log accents blend with the rustic theme of the studio and complement the rough-sawn floor on both elevations.

One of Carter's many passions is readily apparent in the two-year-old studio. It's the railroad that occupies the east wall and features scenery painted on the backdrop. It will eventually include landscape that will go from the floor to the ceiling, along with mountains and tunnels through which his large-scale locomotives will pass. Also on the agenda are sound effects such as chirping of

"I can literally do paintings from my railroad," says Carter. "I can use it as a model, then paint cowboys and cattle and whatever I want to put in it. I have to finish the landscaping, which will give the illusion of going back about 30 feet. The railroad could take another 10 years to finish; it's a slow process."

Over in the corner by the landing, is Carter's collection of war bonnets , while the corner between the north and east walls features a large saddle stand. The gun cases, stocked with guns from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Mexican and Civil Wars, and the early cowboys, are situated on the north wall.

For Carter, who formerly worked in a 400-square-foot studio (which has been converted into the family dining room), the new studio is a dream come true, a place that offers him the space he needs to make his art a reality while at the same time providing the comfort of being surrounded by the things he loves. It is not unusual to find him hard at work on a painting, as his locomotives chug around the elaborate track or rock music blares from stereo speakers.
"Home is the best way I can describe the studio," Carter says, and, indeed, it is a home within a home. Be that as it may, Carter did turn down the offer of a microwave and freezer for the studio. After all, he laughs, "I've got a pioneer image to maintain!"

Vicki Stavig is editor of Art of the West. Reprinted with permission from Art OF THE WEST magazine.

Photos by Don Pilotte