About the Cover Art: Dedication to Service by Paul Kjellander

By Brandy Powers

Paul Kjellander is an impressive artist whose paintings are on display throughout the Gem State, including in the Idaho State Capitol. His work is often featured in Public Utilities Fortnightly Magazine. Bob Rowe is a connoisseur and strong supporter of the arts community. So naturally he requested Paul craft a painting for NorthWestern Energy. It was intended to be a parting gift for employees to thank them for their dedication to service As Bob stated in an employee letter, “It has been an honor to work with you, to meet our customers’ most essential energy needs. As a NorthWestern customer, I am still counting on you!”

When Bob asked Paul for the piece, Paul’s response was absolutely – it would be a lot of fun. At the time, Paul was doing a series of paintings of linemen and various work crews at utilities in part for a book he is illustrating for author Steve Mitnick. He started this piece by diving through a library of NorthWestern photos and the “snowy men out there in the dead of winter, trying to restore a line,” quickly caught his attention.

“To me, it just spoke volumes to the environment these linemen and work crews are faced with all the time. There are no ‘snow days’ for linemen.” In Paul’s words, “The painting represents the hardy nature of trying to provide energy during all the extreme challenges throughout vast territories with smaller, rural populations, which means a lot of infrastructure that needs to be maintained and the potential for all the natural events that make providing that service really difficult. It is a beautiful illustration to share how much work and dedication to service it takes to keep the power and the lights on.”

In addition, Paul expertly paired the integration of the infrastructure to the landscape and environment.

“I know NorthWestern has a huge environmental desire to be good stewards of the land across their service area, so I wanted to work in some wildlife to the background,” he said.

A talented and accomplished artist, he was cognizant of the repetition of the elk and put intricate detail into the overall composition.

The painting is on display in the Butte General Office located at 11 E. Park St. Prints are available at the office and by request by emailing: art@northwestern.com.

A lifelong learner, Paul is still active across the energy sector. He served as President of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC), having been appointed to four six-year terms beginning in 1999. He was the longest serving president of the IPUC. He recently retired from state service, yet he is still very active in the industry, now working as a consultant. His new work through the Idaho National Laboratory focuses on advanced energy resource development. You can follow Paul’s work through Public Fortnightly and a soon-to-be developed website that will make his art more widely available.