Update! We liked the retreat so much, we're going to do it again in April 2014. Visit www.pleinairzion.com for details as they develop.
The final day of our plein air painting retreat dawned clear and warm. After a quick breakfast, we hustled out to Court of the Patriarchs to finish up the paintings we'd started yesterday. The great thing about splitting the painting over a couple of days is that on the second day, there is no messing around. You know where you're going to set up, you're familiar with the scene, and you've already figured out most of the problems. Basically, you set up your tripod and go. I finished up a couple of pieces. Here's one of them, a 12x9 oil of Mount Moroni.
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| "Mt Moroni Shadows" 12x9, oil - SOLD |
Afterward, we went back to the house for lunch and said goodbye to a couple of participants who had to drive to Las Vegas for flights. Once lunch was done and the goodbyes were said, some of us headed for the shaded deck to tweak the week's paintings. It was hot - over 90 - but the shade was cool enough, and we got some good work done.
As evening drew on, we decided to head out for one last field trip. Destination: Grafton. Grafton is a ghost town, and perhaps best known these days for having had a small part in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (It was the scene where, if I recall correctly, Paul Newman rides a bicycle to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head.") Grafton and the road leading to it have some of the best scenery I've seen all week. For the next retreat we do in Zion, we'll definitely plan two days around Grafton. Below are some photos to whet your appetite.
This is my final post about Zion. Tomorrow morning the rest of the participants head out. It's always a sad time, since it has been an intense week of painting and living together. I say goodbye to them, knowing that because we've all learned a lot from each other, we are now well-prepared to move on in our lives as painters. And it cheers me to think that I'll see many of them again someday.
