Hey ya’ll, this is me, TaSha Franklin, I am the artist behind Montana Pallet Paintings. I am a 3rd generation Montana Native, born and raised in Kalispell Montana.
I’m also a Stay-At-Home/Work-At-Home/Hold-It-All-Together/Partially-Reclusive/Hot-Mess Momma! I have two beautiful, sweet mini-me monsters that are my WORLD! I also have an amazing, fun-loving, incredibly-patient-cause-he-has-to-be-husband!
I am, and always have been a bit of an outdoor enthusiast. I love hiking, camping, fishing, and off-roading. My home here in Montana is nothing short of breath taking. I have lived here my whole life, and I have never lost my appreciation for it, except maybe the long winters…..I could definitely live without those!
Okay! So here’s the backstory……
Almost 10 years ago now, my beautiful daughter was born. At the time I was employed. I had an awesome job, doing exactly what I wanted to do, or so I thought. I worked in accounting, ran numbers all day, counted money, got paid tons, you know, the perfect career!
After out daughter was born, my priorities changed. Finding myself just one week away from going back to work, I started to panic, as do most parents when they’re faced with child care options! Eeeek!
So, after long discussions with my husband, we decided that me staying home and raising our daughter was the best decision. We had to make sacrifices……. lots of sacrifices, but we made it work. Since then, we’ve added a second child into the mix, and I have become a stay-at-home, work-at-home Mom.
I’ve done it all! From delivering Newspapers at 4 in the morning just to make ends meet, to online affiliate marketing and website design. I even had a few bookkeeping jobs. None of it really felt right though. I just never felt fully satisfied.
I picked up a paint brush for the first time back in 2017….. I know, not that long ago. I was desperate! Times were tough, money was tight, and I needed to find a way to supplement my husband’s income. I couldn’t afford to buy canvas back then, so I had to get creative, and since pallets were something we had plenty of, I started painting on them first.
I started simple, but as time went on, my commissions got harder and harder, and I learned more and more. It didn’t take long for me to realize that painting was becoming my passion. I dove in head first, and haven’t stopped since! My technique and style has since grown immensely.
When I’m not doing commissions, I prefer to paint Montana landscapes and wildlife. Since my little family and I spend a lot of time outdoors, I am always inspired! We are an off-roading/camping/outdoor family, so I get to see parts of Montana that most people don’t even know exist! I absolutely love taking my own reference photos, although I’m no photographer, I love documenting the places we’ve been, and then later, if possible, painting them!
God works in mysterious ways, that’s for sure. If we hadn’t fallen on tough times, I may have never discovered this incredible passion I have for painting. I’ve come a long ways in a very short period of time, which is also such an amazing blessing. I have my family and friends, and all the people I’ve met along the way to thank for that!
Here are some of my firsts!!!
So that’s it! That is how it all started!! Thank you sooo much for visiting!!
Tasha
