It took artist Jeff Troupe less than a year as a Flathead Valley resident to realize how special the community is.

It took him about two months of plein air work to capture the personality of Kalispell on canvas, in a 56-piece collection on display now at Wild Eye Artistry called “Downtown Perspective.”

“It needed to be done,” Troupe said. “People are interested in their town, in this unique place.”

Troupe was born and raised in California. An early love of painting and fine art led him to attend the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, with hopes of becoming a professional fine artist. But he worried about being able to make a living, and decided to do something “more practical.” He switched career paths, earning a degree in computer animation and going to work developing graphics for video game companies.

“I was painting here and painting there, but couldn’t find time and energy to really commit,” Troupe said. “I think I was still growing as an artist [during that time]; I was drawing every day. I was refining my abilities, but not with paint.”

A few years ago, Troupe and his wife Patti decided they’d had enough of the big-city lifestyle. They moved north to Alturus, California, and it was there Troupe was able to refocus his attention on his art. After a road trip to Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, the couple continued their move north. They landed in the Flathead Valley in November 2014.

“The perfect combination of things brought us here,” Troupe said. “This is the place you’d want to raise your kids.

“The people here are great, and there’s a tremendous arts community.”

According to Troupe, the local artist and gallery communities have been very welcoming. His studio is located in Wild Eye Artistry, but he also has work on display and for sale at the Walking Man Gallery and Frame Shop in Whitefish and will be the featured artist of November at the Persimmon Gallery in Bigfork. He spent most of his summer participating in various local plein air events, including the Hockaday Museum of Art’s “paint out” event and summer “Members Salon” exhibit.

“Plein air has always been what I’m attracted to,” Troupe said. “I like the colors and the brushwork ... I always thought I want to paint like that.”

It was at one of the plein air events that Troupe first met Rick Green, owner of Wild Eye Artistry. Green said he was interested in Troupe’s work, and offered to hang some of his pieces at Wild Eye. Troupe ended up setting up his full studio at the gallery, and the pair began working on some program and marketing ideas together.

One sunny and slow afternoon, Green suggested Troupe should set up outside on the sidewalk and do some plein air work right in front of the gallery. What began as a simple marketing idea with a painting of one building quickly turned into a larger project. Main Street business owners and Kalispell locals began showing interest in having other buildings, houses and storefronts painted, and Green said the organic excitement being generated really made the project take off.

“This was a great way ... to get out in the community,” Green said. “The idea and the pieces in the exhibit, it’s yours [the community’s]. It’s not some random landscape. It’s personal and it really hits home that way.”

“People have been really excited about it,” Troupe said. “People are making an emotional connection, and that feels really good. That’s when you know you got something right.”

The “Downtown Perspective” show will close at Wild Eye on Friday, Oct. 23. However, many of the pieces have been sold to downtown businesses and will be displayed throughout town. Troupe has many other works which will still be available at his studio in Wild Eye Artistry, located at 328 Main Street, going forward.

Troupe said that he and his family plan to call the Flathead Valley home for a long time. As an artist, he said the natural beauty and open space is tough to beat.

“Although I won’t be working outside quite as much in the winter,” he said, laughing.

For more information on Troupe and his work, visit www.jefftroupefineart.blogspot.com. To find out more about Wild Eye Artistry’s upcoming events, classes or exhibits, visit www.wildeyeartistry.com or call 406-314-4611.

Entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.