The year was 1985 and Marilyn Beth Pinkerton (then Hughes) and her artist buddy, the late Bernadine Fox, were tired of comments like "That's nice" about their artwork.

"Someone looks at your painting and says, 'That's nice.' It really doesn't mean much. We were looking for honest critiques," Pinkerton said.

So they invited three or four other artist friends, including Elliot Eaton and Robert Morrison, to join an informal artist group where they could get together and paint and assess each other's work. Since several of the artists had homes or summer homes along the Stillwater River, they called themselves the Stillwater Society. Membership has fluctuated over the years; some of the artists have died and others have left the group because they didn't enjoy public critiques of their work, but the group still meets monthly to critique artwork.

Thirteen of its 17 members are exhibiting their work for the first time in a combined show in Billings. It opened this week at Rimrock Art and Frame, 1070 S. 24th St. W., and runs through July 31. A reception is set for Friday, July 10, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The list of members is a veritable who's who among regional artists. Besides Eaton, Morrison, and Pinkerton, there are Ben Steele, Harry Koyama, Mel Fillerup, Nellie Israel, Dennis Kern, Jim LeBar, Maggie MacKay, Diane Mysse, Nellie Rafn and Luci Scott. Other artists are part of the Stillwater Society, including Lyndon Pomeroy, but are not showing work at the exhibit at Rimrock Art and Frame.

You can join the group by invitation only. They seldom get together and paint anymore, but the critique sessions are held regularly, and they almost always involve a nice dinner at the host's house.

"One of the reasons this group has kept together is we are all so different, different styles, different education," said Morrison, who taught art in School District 2 and Rocky Mountain College.

As testament to that, a recent chat among four of the artists at Rimrock Art and Frame turned into a good-natured disagreement about whether art is a joy or hard work and whether an artist can rely on "happy accidents."

Steele and Eaton, who studied under Steele at Montana State University-Billings, are spontaneous watercolorists who revel in how things just happen when they're painting.

"One day I was painting outside in winter and it started snowing. Snowflakes fell on my painting and it looked like snow in the sky so I left it there," Eaton said.

Steele credits his art to contributing to his longevity. He is 92 years old and one of the few remaining survivors of the Bataan Death March. A book featuring his story and artwork from World War II, "Tears in the Darkness," is currently on the New York Times best-seller list.

Morrison and Pinkerton explained how they can toil for days, sometimes months, to get everything in a painting just so. Morrison's fine calligraphy and striking oil paintings show his meticulous attention to detail. Pinkerton's watercolors are also carefully crafted. Pinkerton said sometimes people incorrectly believe that just because they are artists, their lives are easy and without stress.

"People say, 'You are so lucky to do what you love.' There's a little bit of effort involved, too."

Because so many members of the Stillwater Society are teachers, they embrace lifelong learning. Those artists who didn't want the feedback quickly drop out of the group, sometimes after one meeting.

"We aren't the same people we were back when we started this group," Eaton said. "We're still learning."

Steele, who taught art at Montana State University Billings for decades, said he cautions new members about pushing too hard to make a point.

"I used to tell students that artists are very sensitive so try not to make anybody cry," Steele said. "That's the same deal with this group."

Morrison said a strength of the group critique sessions is that artists often get so close to their work, sometimes they can't see the obvious, but fellow artists can.

"We can see things the artist can't see that may need fixing," Morrison said.

Pinkerton added, "We respect each other, and while we're honest about their work, we try not to be too harsh."

Working as an artist is a fascinating way to make a living, Pinkerton said. But it comes with an abundance of challenges, one of them being that artists often work in isolation. The group meetings give the artists a chance to catch up on each other's lives as well as their work. Steele said professional artists, as well as student artists, all worry about the same thing - making a living. The group helps artists check out the competition.

"So many students ask, 'Can I make a living with my art?"' Steele said. "I'd tell them, 'If you're good enough, you'll make it.' "