James Kenneth Ralston

James Kenneth Ralston was born to a pioneering family with deep roots in the American West. Raised on his family’s ranch, Ralston received his first formal art instruction in Helena, Montana. He briefly attended the Chicago Art Institute in 1917 before serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. After the war, he returned to the Art Institute in 1920. In 1923, he married Willo and moved to the Pacific Coast, working as a commercial artist for seven years. The couple returned to Montana in 1930 to manage the Roman E Ranch but had to leave in 1935 due to the Depression and drought. Settling in Billings, Ralston began his career as a professional artist. His work is featured in locations such as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, Custer Battlefield National Monument, and the Montana Historical Society, with murals adorning various retail and professional spaces nationwide.