The iconic Barbie doll was released in 1959, but it wasn’t until 1998 when Great Falls native and artist Hollie Batista received her first Barbie.
Batista says she was “obsessed” with Barbie from the get-go: “She owned her own car. She had all these jobs. She was an astronaut, you know, before it was even possible for women to have those things, so, I thought that was really cool”.
Barbie continues to inspire Batista to this day. With the release of the blockbuster "Barbie" movie last month, Batista created a nine-piece art collection.
Batista describes herself as a “multi medium” artist using materials including joint compound, ink transfer, tape, paint, and string, among others, to create her finished products.
Since the completion of the collection, Batista was able to display her art at a café in Denver, Colorado, where she now resides, called Rise And Shine.
The collection displayed at the shop throughout July and was available for display and purchase in the Denver area.
Although she now resides in Colorado, Batista attributes much of her inspiration to her Montana roots.
“There's just so much history, so many cool signs and things that have been here since my parents went to school and grew up here. Montana is at my roots for sure,” Batista explained.
It took a while for Batista to make the jump to full-time artist; at a young age she always wanted to be a cartoonist - but: “I just never really thought it was a possibility as a career until I got older."
Batista had these words for her younger self: “Just do it. I feel like I put off being an artist for so long because I didn't think it was a possibility. Then I did one painting for myself and I put it on social media and people liked it. I've had commissions ever since. So you just have to put yourself out there. Like, it’s the only option."
Click here to visit Batista's website; click here to check out her Instagram page.
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