Notable Billings bison mural proves pivotal in artist’s career

BILLINGS - You may have seen Rilie Tane’s work across Montana but didn’t know the story of a successful Billings-based mural artist and how she got to where she is today, in just a few short years that fast-tracked her new career.

From the bison mural you can’t miss in downtown Billings, to restoring pieces of history statewide, Tane is making her mark in Montana. She’s even quit her day job as an art teacher to become a full-time artist at age 30.

“I got my education degree in 2020, and then I taught for three years as an art teacher at Elysian, and then I painted my buffalo mural downtown and things just kind of blew up from there, and since then I've been a full-time artist,” says Tane.

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Her latest work includes a signage restoration project for the Billings Livestock Commission, highly visible from Interstate 90 and an important piece of Montana history.

“About a year ago, they got ahold of me and I think it was from restoring murals. The Coca-Cola sign is signage, so they got a hold of me then, but I'm really not sure who they heard my name from,” says Tane.

Regardless of who sent the referral, Rilie Tane’s name is out there.

“It means so much to be even chosen as someone who they trust because the building, it's so old and special to a lot of people. A lot people come here and have for a long time,” says Tane.

With the largest horse sale in the entire United States, thousands of buyers see this building at the Billings Livestock Yards each year, and now, it's spruced-up look matches the importance of its role in Montana.

“Billings Livestock has been in business since 1934. They built this facility in 1975, so this building's actually been here for 50 years now, or close to 50 years,” says Bill Cook, the general manager of Billings Livestock Commission. “The paint job was really, really kind of the icing on the cake to make things look better. It really does, it looks really good.”

With so many of Tane’s jobs putting the icing on the cake, she’s now the one becoming part of Montana history.

“I do both signage and creative murals, exterior and interior. I would consider this signage. I project signage at night to make sure it's perfect, and trace it out so that it's nice and centered. I just want to make sure it's perfect for the business. It's a little different than my creative murals. I don't project those, and they're just more free-flowing and however I feel, I'm painting,” says Tane.

Her raw talent is projecting her into her calling while beautifying the state.

To view additional murals and artwork, or to inquire about her mural service, visit her social media , her website or email her at rilietaneart@gmail.com .