It's mighty pleasant in Sedona - 76 degrees and sunny. I took a hike down at Crescent Moon Ranch last night to begin exploring some painting spots for the Sedona Plein Air Festival. One of my favorite spots, rich with possibilities, is Red Rock Crossing. The view of Cathedral Rock is, of course, iconic. You'll see something very much like my photograph on all the tourist literature. Perhaps such an over-photographed and over-painted scene might be best left to postcard painters. But if you pull your eye away from that monument and look elsewhere, you'll find lots of very good, less-anticipated scenes, especially down along the water's edge where cottonwood and willow meet the eroded red rock banks. I'm excited by the week's possibilities!Today, Saturday, is our first day. The 30 artists will meet this morning at the Sedona Arts Center to get canvases stamped. We'll also pick up maps, seek advice from the old-timers, and talk about the week ahead. Although the artists will have lots of time to paint this week, there are many events for us, some mandatory, some optional. One must-attend event today is the Paintout on Main Street. We'll be up on Main Street from 2:30 till 5. Look for the event tent next to the Joe Beeler statute. The coordinators there will know where I am. (Artists are supposed to paint on Main Street between the Arts Center and Ravenheart Coffee.)
If you're in the area for the week, you might be interested in a couple of other events I'm involved with. These are:
- Monday, 11-1 - I'll be giving a public oil painting demonstration at the Sedona Arts Center.
- Tuesday, 2 pm - I'll be giving another demonstration at my gallery, the Windrush Gallery. Windrush is located just past Tlaquepaque, at the end of the bridge at 422 Hwy 179.
