The Gauteraux Life
A visit to the Gauteraux Studio and Workshop between Sidney and Glendive Montana will immediately give you the feeling of how art is created from raw materials and forged out of simple necessity and desire. There’s no mistake about it. This is the Studio of Ryder Gauteraux and the first thing you will notice is the smell of leather which permeates the air. Soon, you will also notice that you are surrounded by vintage black Singer sewing machines all ready to resonate with the hum of use and creative energy. From the leather shop, you can venture into the silver shop or spend your time creating visions in Bronze in the Sculpture studio. Whatever the case, you will be immersed in creativity as well as the passion and drive to see these various works of art come to fruition.
All the while, the one thought that comes to your mind when walking through Ryder’s studio, and his life for that matter, is this: This is the west, the drive, independent spirit, creative force and ingenuity that still defines and pulses through America’s last and greatest frontier.
And that’s because Ryder Gauteraux– father, bronc rider, rodeo cowboy, bootmaker, alligator hunter, entrepreneur, jewelry designer, furniture maker, and now sculptor– embodies all those wonderful qualities still found in The West.
Ryder grew up in a log cabin built by his mother and father that was lit by kerosene lamps at night and was heated with a wood stove. As a child growing up in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, Gauteraux saw that life could be endlessly fascinating, At an early age, his passion drove him to chase two persistent dreams– to be a Cowboy or a Rockstar. He desired to grow up "fast" so he could live a life like the Wild and Woolly Cowboys; it was that, or move to Hollywood and to become a Rockstar. Ryder loved playing Cowboys and Indians all day, and the Blue Mountains were the perfect setting to make this happen. Ryder, his sisters and the neighboring kids would chase each other through the mountains and the fields, sometimes getting a little rough, tackling each other off their horses and riding anything they could get a hold of. Eventually, the early idea of being a Rock Star passed when a fire inside him started to light and he realized he could have everything he ever wanted in life– “they pay you to ride Bulls and Bucking Horses, and Winning is better than being a Rock and roll Star,” he thought. This was a dream come true and it was right in front of him.
Soon, Ryder entered the rodeo arena and quickly embraced all that lifestyle had to offer. The rodeo life had some ups and downs, so out of that a necessity to work with leather was born. It started when Gauteraux made himself a pair of new chaps. But when he stepped out and decided to build himself a pair of boots, he came to the realization that he could build whatever could be imagined. Soon, Gauteraux was riding bucking horses at pro rodeos and creating things in his shop to make a little extra money.
Over the past twenty five plus years, Ryder has worked with clients across the country and some internationally as well. People from all over the world enjoy Gauteraux’s distinctly authentic romantic creations. His work is just as frequently worn by the Hollywood elite to Red Carpet events, as it is by cowboys in the rodeo.
Nowadays, when you visit the Gauteraux studio, you become surrounded by the life of a Dream Chaser who started creating out of necessity, building utilitarian things needed for the life of a cowboy. Ryder Gauteraux now depicts pieces of this life in his Bronze sculptures. With a creativity that holds no bounds, the sculpture studio is now where Gauteraux shares with the entire world the intricate pieces of those Cowboy Dreams.
Gautreaux’s bronzes are known for his classic representation of some of the wildest days in a Wooly Cowboys life, clearly influenced by artists such as Frederic Remington and Charlie Russell and Cowboys like Casy Tibbs.
Ryder now divides his time between Montana and Idaho. His studios are located in between Sidney and Glendive, Montana.
