About Jim
Jim Trueax is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe. Born in Havre, MT, Jim spent most of his life growing up in and around the Anaconda, MT and Georgetown Lake area surrounded by wildlife. This inspired him to become a wildlife artist. While attending Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, Jim belonged to the MSU Indian Club and painted 6 murals depicting native culture. Reproductions of the murals are on permanent display in the new American Indian Hall on the MSU campus. After graduation in 1977 with a degree in Art Education, Jim painted 3 large murals for the First Security Bank in Anaconda depicting Anaconda history. Jim moved to the Helena, MT area and opened a sign business in 1984. He retired from the business in 2019 to pursue just art. Jim has been doing a lot of 3D art/sculptures for the Montana State Museum (this includes an 18’ long bas relief sculpture that currently sits at the entrance to the museum and depicts the animals that roamed Montana 10,000 years ago), television shows, etc. Along with wildlife artwork, Jim is currently working on a series of paintings that depict Native American dancers. Jim has displayed his artwork during the Charlie Russell/Western Art Week in Great Falls, MT. He has felt the honor of being chosen, as a member of the Little Shell Tribe, to display and demonstrate in Yellowstone National Park at the Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center at Old Faithful in 2022, 2023 and now July 20-24, 2024.