Photo courtesy of Dave Hodges Montana artist and sculpture Dave Hodges showcases his work: Longhorns, wildlife and opera diva by Marjorie Smith How did a Montana artist known for wildlife and ranch sculptures end up creating a bronze bust of Metropolitan Opera diva Marilyn Horne? When the artist is Dave Hodges, '78 Range Science, there are other interesting questions. How does an ag major end up making his living as an artist? "I started out in art," Hodges says, "but they weren't teaching my sort of art. I quit school for about six years. When I went back, I took a range class and loved it." Or, how does a guy who grew up in Bradford, Penn., (also Marilyn Horne's hometown, as it happens) end up raising cattle on a small spread outside Big Timber? "I always had an interest in animals," Hodges explains. "When I got out of high school I went to horseshoeing school in New Mexico and then got a job in Montana." He worked for a rancher who urged him to continue his education. Art wasn't the original plan for Hodges and his wife, Carmen, '81 AgBus. "When we started out, we were going to raise cattle. We bought a ranch, but these days ranching won't make the payments. I started doing art during the winter. We only have 20 or 30 head of cattle, all Texas longhorns," Hodges says. Hodges confesses a special fondness for longhorns. One of the first sculptures he made ended up on display in the Hall of Presidents in Orlando, Fla., as one of Ronald Reagan's favorite possessions. "I've got a brochure," Hodges says. "It shows Reagan, George Bush, Sr., Gorbachev and my Texas longhorn." In the summer of 2001, Carmen opened an art gallery in Big Timber, selling her husband's work, as well as that of other artists. (They have a Web site at www.hodgesfineart.com) "It was rough going at first," Dave says. "After 9/11, the art market followed the stock market crash. But sales are improving." Hodges' sculptures and paintings are also for sale in other galleries and at less traditional outlets, like the Kentucky Derby gift shop and the Fort Worth Stockyards. Through the years, Hodges' art has found homes in at least 25 countries. One ended up in the hands of the president of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and when the university dedicated a new fine arts and communication arts center on October 1, 2004, they gave Marilyn Horne an honorary doctorate. Hodges got the commission to sculpt a bronze bust of the singer. The ceremony in Pennsylvania was nothing new for the Hodges. In December 2002, Dave and Carmen were at the White House meeting Laura Bush at the unveiling of the White House Christmas tree, for which Dave had created an ornament. "Sometimes people ask me why I bothered to go to college, given the way things have turned out," Hodges says. "I tell them college teaches you how to progressively solve problems." And, he adds, "When I put grass in a painting, I know what I'm painting."