An Emmy Award-winning animator left her star-studded career in Los Angeles for a living off the land in rural Montana – in a house she built from straw bales and clay.
Kathryn Yelsa left sun-drenched Los Angeles for a ranch near Saint Ignatius, Montana, a small town of just under 800 residents.
She established a farm called Yellow Bear Star Garden, growing crops such as cherries, beans and squash.
The artist earned five Emmys for her work as a background painter. However, she did not find the performance satisfactory.
“I wanted a simpler life because I had already won five Emmys, and they weren’t satisfying,” she said NBC Montana.
Five-time Emmy Award-winning artist Kathryn Yelsa has worked for some of the biggest production houses, including Warner Bros. and Universal, before deciding to settle in rural Montana
Yelsa bought a property near the town of Sint-Ignatius, which has fewer than 1,000 inhabitants
She founded a farm called Yellow Bear Star Garden, which she describes as a “homestead” – a way to live off the land
Yelsa was originally from Upland, a city adjacent to Los Angeles, and worked all over Hollywood.
She was an artist at the biggest studios at the time, including Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and Universal Pictures.
As a background painter in the 1990s, she worked on some of Hollywood’s most successful cartoons – shows like Dexter’s Laboratory and Animaniacs, plus almost 70 episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures, a popular spin-off of Looney Toons.
Although her work was more subtle, Yelsa played a crucial role in creating emotion and embellishing scenes.
“I did background paintings for cartoons for Warner Brothers and various animation studios,” she said. ‘All colours. All lighting. All the mood.”
She worked at Marvel until 1995 and decided to leave that lifestyle behind shortly afterwards.
“I spent all my time doing background on nature and reading books about it,” she explained. ‘I wanted to live it.’
The artist moved to her parents’ native country, Montana, and, with the help of her children, built a house from straw bales, clay cobs and lime.
She is inspired by the concept of permaculture, which uses land and resources in a way that is intended to be self-sufficient and not produce waste.
Yelsa is a self-described homesteader, which she describes as “where you live off the land and appreciate the life you live.”
The background painter received five Emmys for her work on some of the most popular cartoons of the 1990s
With the help of her children, she built a house (photo) from materials such as straw and clay cobs
Yelsa created an internship program to give back to the community and teach students about the benefits of homesteading and sustainable agriculture
Her goal is to welcome other people to the building and continue making art. The artist said: ‘I would like to build small houses and let people make art here on the farm’
Since moving to Montana, the artist has been deeply involved in education, using it as a way to integrate herself into the community.
Several years ago, she taught art at the nearby Arlee School District. Recently, Yelsa launched an internship program for students interested in farm agriculture.
One of the students, Maddie Hollingsworth, talked about how influential the program had been.
“My family has land, and I would love to have my own land at some point and be able to do what Kathy has done here,” she said.
‘Everything is natural. No chemicals. It’s just very healthy. It’s a good way to live.’
On Airbnb, Yelsa offers a part of her paradise to paying guests.
The property is described in the advertisement as ‘an environmentally friendly and sustainability-oriented holiday destination’.
For $120 per night – per guest – up to five people can choose to stay in a loft-style apartment next to Yelsa’s home.
It has two beds and a bathroom and a simple kitchen setup with all the necessities – the animator provides her guests with tea and coffee.
A narrow wooden staircase leads to the second level, where two mattresses lie under a sloping ceiling.
Her artistic spirit is evident within the walls of the house, which are decorated with vibrant paintings and African animal masks.
The building is full of quirks, such as its location on a so-called ‘grizzly bear corridor’. The advertisement advises guests not to wander aimlessly through the property, ‘especially after dark’.
Yelsa hopes to welcome other people to her farm.
“I would like to build little houses and have people making art here on the farm,” she said.
While her lifestyle may seem intimidating, the artist is grateful for the simple things, like being immersed in nature.
“Even at night there is light, even from the stars,” she said.
“You don’t have that in LA.”