Deeply Rooted

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Issue 19 cover artist Aimee Babneau finds her creative flow in the Tetons through snowboarding

The first thing to catch my eye when I entered Aimee Babneau’s studio was a bright orange LEGO helicopter perched on top of her fridge. It didn’t quite fit in with her twinkly lights, colorful artwork covering every wall, and the painted tea kettle whistling happily on the stove. “My kids would play Art of Flight with it when they were little and didn’t want to snowboard all day,” Babneau told me, gesturing to the helicopter. She had used Travis Rice’s magnum opus 2011 snowboard film to keep her kids entertained on down days—the mark of a true die-hard snowboarder.

Babneau was raised just outside Pocatello, Idaho, and she grew up with a view of the Tetons in the distance. She would make the trek to Pebble Creek or Grand Targhee to ski any chance she had. “We’d jump out of bed in the morning. It was better than Christmas to go skiing for me,” she said. After years of skiing at Grand Targhee and one summer living in Jackson Hole during college, she moved to the Teton Valley full-time in 2009. As a life-long artist, the culture, music, and art of the Tetons drew her in. Although she’d never lived there full time, in many ways the valley had always felt like home to her. 

Painting–like snowboarding–was a way for Babneau to find a creative flow while working multiple jobs to survive. Over time, the two have become intertwined and created a balance in her life that she’s come to rely on. Getting out and riding before sitting down to paint allows her to come to her work with fresh air in her lungs and some sun on her face. The ritual puts her in the right state of mind to be hypnotized by the process of painting and fully immersed in her work. Although painting has also now become a job, it remains just as much a creative outlet and passion as always.

“I could be working all day long and it feels like an hour. Same with snowboarding and just being part of the moment—it forces you to be present. That’s more what it’s about to me than making a piece that someone would want to buy. I’m doing it because I have an idea in my head and I need to get it out, and if someone else likes it, that’s an awesome bonus.”

Her work reflects a life spent in proximity to the Tetons and the deep connection she has with the surrounding landscape. She uses bright colors and fluid shapes in her pieces to transport the viewer to a visual plane where they see colors and light that no photo could ever capture. Babneau’s paintings emulate the joyful magic of a unique irreplicable moment in the mountains. 

Recently Babneau has begun to branch out into mural work and digital painting. Much of her physical work uses recycled or found wood panels that are then painted with acrylic paint, paint pens, or a water-based spray paint. “There’s something more rustic and connected about working on wood. I like to expose the wood grain in a lot of my pieces when it’s available. And if all else fails, you can just sand it back down and start again.” 

Creating the cover art for Issue 19 of Jackson Hole Snowboarder Magazine was a dream assignment for Babneau because of her close connection to the art and snowboard community in Teton Valley. She initially had the idea for her cover art piece “Wydaho Roots” while driving up the Hoback River canyon and seeing a mudslide cascade down the canyon wall. The piece depicts layers of the earth under a blanket of snow. Roots are growing from the foot of the ride, symbolizing connection to the vastness of the mountains. Seeing that mudslide in the canyon made her consider all the layers of the earth and how we affect the environment around us. How will it impact future generations if the snow melts for the last time? The piece is also a self-portrait meant to honor Babneau’s own Teton roots and the joy she continues to find in the mountains. 

Aimee Babneau’s work has been featured on the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival and Snow King Concert series posters. She currently has a mural on display at Teton Geo Center and will have work hanging at Guidepost Brewing in Victor starting in December 2023. She also has greeting cards with her artwork available at MD Nursery, Barrels and Bins, and the Liquor Market in Driggs. More of Babneau’s work can be found at ababneauart.com.

Aimee Babneau’s work has been featured on the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival and Snow King Concert series posters. She currently has a mural on display at Teton Geo Center and will have work hanging at Guidepost Brewing in Victor starting in December 2023. She also has greeting cards with her artwork available at MD Nursery, Barrels and Bins, and the Liquor Market in Driggs. More of Babneau’s work can be found at ababneauart.com