Photography has always been a passion in life for Cari Stiffarm. Cari is a self taught photographer and remembers her love of photography dating back to the second grade when she received her first camera and began shooting her school field trips. Originally from Georgia, Cari left her southern roots behind 15 years ago after a wonderful summer working a job in Glacier National Park. After returning and graduating from Georgia Southern University, she packed up and headed west to make Montana home. Cari worked for five years with Glacier Park, Inc. and helped to staff the many lodges in the park. During this time she was able to further develop her style and eye for landscape photography with Glacier Park as her backyard. Cari turned what was once a hobby into full time career back in 2004 when she got word of original windows out of Glacier Park Lodge going into landfills. She immediately saw the antique windows as picture frames for her large catalog of Glacier photos. She rescued the nearly 200 windows that were left and began selling them in summer art festivals and local charity art auctions. Although she is finished with the lodge windows, she continues to frame her unique landscapes in windows from around the state that have come from old schools, churches, barns and hotels. In addition to her landscapes, Cari also enjoys photographing rodeos locally and around Montana. She finds the live action at rodeos to be welcome after the stillness of landscapes for so many years. Her current rodeo prints on watercolor papers are framed out of barn wood from a 100 year old cabin off of the Gary Cooper Ranch above Helena. By incorporating a piece of Montana history into each one of her creations, she not only captivates you with her photography but also leaves you feeling connected to a time in the states history that is quickly disappearing with each architectural demolishment. Cari resides in Columbia Falls with her family.
