Phil Hilson is a retired professional violinist and orchestra teacher now living in Cody, Wyoming. For decades, he performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles across the country, known for his expressive style, musical precision, and deep commitment to arts education. After retiring from teaching and performance, Phil turned his creative energy toward photography—a lifelong passion that has become his second career.

Today, Phil is an award-winning professional photographer specializing in wildlife, landscape, and astrophotography. His work is rooted in the vast beauty of the American West and the night skies above his Bortle 4 backyard in Cody. Whether capturing the motion of a soaring raptor, the stillness of a mountain lake, or the distant fire of a nebula, his images reflect a deep connection to the natural world and a patient, intentional approach to the craft.

Phil’s artistic philosophy draws from his musical background: Create with intention. Observe with patience. Honor the subject. He believes that great art—whether visual or musical—stirs emotion, invites stillness, and reveals beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed. His photography is guided by the same principles that shaped his music: discipline, listening, and a deep respect for the moment.

Phil’s work has earned statewide recognition, including:

• 1st Place – Wildlife Category, Wyoming Wildlife Magazine Photo Contest, for “Elegance in Motion”

• 2nd Place – Professional Photography, 2024 Cody Art League Competition, for his astrophoto “North America Nebula”

• 2nd Place – Professional Photography, 2025 Cody Art League Competition, for “Echoes of Home”

• Selected Winner, Wyoming Public Media Photo Contest, for the 2025–2026 Traveling Photo Exhibition

• Featured Photographer, Pinnacle Bank Calendar Contest, with two images selected in both the 2025 and 2026 editions

• Grand Champion – Professional Photography, 2025 Park County Fair for “Echoes of Home”

Through exhibitions, fine art print sales, and public talks on astrophotography and artistic process, Phil continues to share his creative journey—now through the lens rather than the bow. His life’s work is a celebration of beauty, craftsmanship, and the quiet stories told by nature and light.

Details to come!

Ted has carved fish since 1996 when he began to combine his lifelong interest in fishing and art, by bringing nature indoors through his fishcarvings.  Whether he sculpts naturally found wood or a block of tupelo that is sawn on a bandsaw he loves to bring the feeling of the catch or the beauty of a Rocky Mountain trout to the fore by his own hand.  “When the eyes go in, the soul of the fish or other animal comes to life and I love to see the expression of the people who appreciate the fish or other creatures.  Recreating the excitement of God’s creation for lasting viewing captivates my imagination and drives my creativity.”

Ted uses airbrushed and hand brushed acrylic paints, tupelo, as well as hard and softwood to create realistic life sized sculptures of fish and their habitat as well as raptors and other creatures.

His artistic development centered around woodcarving influences, involvement, and a willingness to have his worked critiqued by judges at shows around the U.S.  After membership in the St. Louis, MO and Wichita,KS wood carving clubs he moved to the Kansas City area where he and his wife Terri lived until 2020 when he retired and moved to Cody WY.  He has been past President of the Wichita and Kansas City woodcarver’s clubs and was a frequent competitor in woodcarving shows.  He has earned Best of Show honors with his fish sculptures in shows in Topeka, KS, Wichita, KS, Grapevine, TX, Rogers AR, and Kansas City, MO. He has competed internationally earning multiple Aquatic Group honors and the People’s Choice Award in 1999 at the National Woodcarving Congress with artists from over 20 countries competing for prizes.   Ted earned Second in Interpretive carving for fish at the prestigious Ward Foundation shows in 2001 and 2003, and more recently he has earned Best in World honors at Breakthrough Magazine’s World Taxidermy and Fish Carving Championships in the division of Open Level Natural Finish in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2024 as well as Best in Show Overall in 2017 with “Home Delivery”. Locally Ted has earned first place finishes at the CodyArts Annual show in woodcarving category in 2023,2024, and 2025.  Additional honors in 2025 were awarded to Ted for his “Westslope Cutthroat” in the form of the Fern Bath award.

Ted’s work may be seen at Cody Arts in Cody, WY; Northfork Anglers Fly Shop in Cody, WY and on Instagram at @ted.fishcarver

My name is Chanel Deroche, and I grew up in Cody. I have two great adult daughters, but my one and only granddaughter is the best of all of us. This is what we want!

I have always been creative, maybe as a child with rocks, sticks, and dirt. In high school I took a student choice elective class in art, and I hated it. I failed the class. The rules we had to follow made it stressful for me.

I began making my own art about 15 years ago, and this, all for my own making, is the only time I don't feel like I have to be perfect. Doing this "Imperfect" art of mine has truly saved my life in desperate times even if I throw my art away. My art, not fine art.

Chanel Deroche.

P.S. I like kindness, dogs, and dirt roads with tunes. I am grateful for this opportunity, and also scared.

 Sonja Jackson was born in Newcastle Wyoming in 1971. She has lived in the Cowboy State most of her life.  She currently resides in Cody WY and has lived there since 2001.  The area where she grew up and loves so much has been the biggest inspiration for her artwork.  Hiking and searching for references for her next painting is what she loves to do the most aside from working on her art.  She discovered her interest in painting in high school and art has always been a huge part of her life even when it wasn’t her main career.  Sonja attended college at the University of Wyoming and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  Although art was always her passion and calling, she started her nursing career in 1994 and raised two children.  Now that her children are grown and starting their own lives, Sonja now has more time to devote to doing what she loves most.  She became a fulltime artist in January 2024.

Read Sonja’s Artist Statement below:

Painting my surroundings is what I live for.  I observe nature and interpret the subjects that I find beautiful or intriguing. My paintings typically have a softness and tenderness associated with them.  I have been painting all my life. I am fortunate to now make art my Full-Time career.

My work captures an emotional connection between mankind and our surroundings.  It conveys that humans and animals are alike in many ways.  So much emotion can be conveyed in the expression on the face and the look in the eyes.  I love how art tells a story with no words, open for interpretation by the individual viewer. 

I create in oil paint because I love the diversity in brushstrokes and the rich, vibrant colors that can be captured using this medium.  I also prefer to paint on linen covered birch panels rather than canvas.  The panels provided a surface that allows me to capture fine details in my subjects.  I lean toward realism but add an impressionistic element with my soft edges and blurred backgrounds. 

Julie is a retired teacher with a lifelong love of art and nature, finding inspiration in the beauty that surrounds her. Working in her main mediums of charcoal and watercolor, Julie brings her passion to life in delightful scenes of wildlife, livestock, and the heartwarming bond between children and their pets.