Zion National Park Plein Air Event - Day 2

As I travel Zion National Park this week, I'm mindful of a trend that I began to note while painting the Grand Canyon.  There's a marked age difference between plein air painters and photographers.  Plein air painting seems to be a young person's sport; photography, a pastime enjoyed by older folks.  (Of course, this is a generalization; and now that school has started and fewer families are travelling, most of the tourists are retirees.)  But will a day come when I find it easier and less troublesome to snap a few photos instead?

But look at some of the photographers!  They lug as much gear as a painter, and they will wait many minutes for the light to get just right.  Photography, too, can try one's patience and test one's endurance.

Our second day dawned windy and cool, about 50 degrees.  I headed out again early, driving the full length of the Zion Canyon Road to see where the light was.  As I suspected, the far, upper reaches of the canyon are narrow and steep-walled, and there was no sunlight to be found there.  I retreated to Court of the Patriarchs, where I had some good sun yesterday.  I made sure to wear my snow parka for warmth; I wanted to stay warm long enough to paint a 12x16.

Then, after a quick lunch, I drove back up the canyon to find the light.  Not too far past the Zion Canyon Lodge I found a pull-off and a path giving access to the Virgin River.  I set up on a sandy beach and in full sun.  I had to point my umbrella down, almost horizontal, to block the light bouncing off the beach.  It got warm quickly, and I found myself stripping off my parka and down to my turtleneck.

After this 9x12, I drove on up the canyon to take some photos of a few view points and hiked around the Big Bend.  (I'm not doing as much hiking as I'd like this week.)  Zion is very, very rich in painting spots - but not so much in parking spots!  Now I understand why they run the shuttles during the busy season.  But if you wait a bit, usually someone leaves.  Most tourists stay just long enough for a photo.

The wind was getting up again, and clouds were moving in fast.  I wanted to get in one more painting  before quitting for the day, so I found another pull-off, this time just north of Court of the Patriarchs.  Doug Braithwaite was finishing up a piece there, and we visited for a few moments.  My last one was difficult because the clouds played with the light, but I think I got it.

Tonight (Wednesday) is our first "Meet the Artists" event.  The public is invited to visit with us and see some of the week's work thus far at the Parallel 88 restaurant after 5.  Artists are asked to bring a piece to hang and show for the evening.  If you're around, stop in!

By the way, I've set  up a "viewing room" in my hotel room.  (No, I'm not painting in the room, and I am meticulous.)  It's good to be able to put out all the work to evaluate it.  I can decide which paintings are good to frame, which need a few adjustments, and which will become "backups."

Zion National Park Plein Air Event - Day 1

This is my first time at "In the Footsteps of Thomas Moran," the Plein Air Invitational in Zion National Park.  Zion has a painting every hundred feet along the highway, and if you park and take any trail, the paintings multiply.  Although I've been here a few times, I haven't had a full week of painting.  Is it possible for one to overdose on beauty?

It was a six-hour drive from Sedona, and by the time I started snaking slowly on curvy Utah 9 behind two tour buses heading into the park, I was getting pretty tired.  So, my first evening here was limited to unpacking and stocking up on groceries.  I did check in with artists Anne Weiler-Brown and Kate Starling, who are coordinating the event, to pick up my goodie bag and packet of instructions, but after that, I took a short walk at dusk, and then went to bed and read up on travel literature about the area.  (By the way, my lodging has been generously donated by Cable Mountain Lodge, right at the park's south gate.)

I was anxious to get going in the morning (Monday,) but Utah, unlike Arizona, respects Daylight Savings Time, and sunrise wasn't until 8.  I headed out at first light.  It was pretty windy - 53 degrees but a chill wind.  The ranger at the gate let me know that it's always windy in the mornings here.

During the busier season, you can't drive your private vehicle up Zion Canyon.  But the shuttle buses ceased operation for the season yesterday, so I was able to drive my own car, which is much more convenient.  My first stop was Court of the Patriarchs.  I followed the trail past the water treatment plant, crossed the bridge, and headed up to a little meadow with beautiful views.  The wind was pretty stiff, so I sought shelter behind a small tree.  Dawn lit up the mountains with brilliant orange and yellow.  While I painted, three turkeys came walking by.  To them, I was just part of the scenery.

I'd been painting in shade - it takes a long time for the sun to reach parts of the canyon floor - and my hands had grown numb by the time I'd finished painting.  I had to retreat to the car to warm up.  But soon I was ready to head out again, and I followed the same trail in and took a different view.  I liked the Court so much that I could paint it all day, and I'll probably go back there.

After the second painting, it was time for a quick lunch and to drop off my studio painting at the Nature Center.  Artists had to ship two studio paintings and then bring a third.  I found out today from Trina that one of my first two studio paintings has already sold!  I'm taking that as a good omen.  (You can see this painting and others at http://www.zionpark.org/product_96.html )

After lunch, I drove on up the canyon, taking pictures and thinking about possible spots for later in the week.  I found one pull-off past Angel's Landing with a gorgeous view of backlit cottonwoods and the Landing behind them.  It was too good to pass up, so I did my third painting there.

Afternoon was dragging on, and so was I.  I headed back, stopping at one place where I spotted a few familiar vehicles - Bill Cramer's CRV, complete with a full sheet of plywood mounted on top to make a painting stand, and Joshua Been's XTerra.  I went down to visit.  Unlike other events, where the artists have been able to use cell phones to organize impromptu painting sessions - our version of a "flash mob" - cell phones are pretty unreliable here, and I hadn't been able to contact anyone.  I spotted John Cogan down by the water, too.

John Cogan

Bill Cramer

Joshua Been

Later that evening, we had our first artists' dinner, with Anne and Kate in Rockville.  Anne lives right in town, and as I approached, I saw about a hundred parked cars.  What a party!  But no, these all belonged to trick-or-treaters.  I'd forgotten it was Halloween.  But still, our group was sizable - two dozen painters plus some family members, and volunteers and staff.

Now it's Tuesday morning.  Even though yesterday was productive, I'll need to hustle again today.  Weather is moving in for tonight - gusty winds - and possibly some snow later in the week.

Sedona Plein Air Festival - Day 7, and Zion National Park!

"That's a wrap," as they say. For most artists, the painting was done with, and they rested before the Gala. (But I spent the day packing for my Zion event, about which I'll write more in a moment.) Artists gathered at the Sedona Arts Center at 4 p.m. to preview the show and to vote for Artist's Choice. SAC occupies two buildings with a parking area between them; artists and their work were split between the two. I made several rounds of the galleries looking at work. There were many excellent paintings, and it was hard to choose just one.

At five, the ticket holders arrived, and the celebration began. Rene at Tlaquepaque, one of the fancier restaurants in town, catered the event under tents set up in the parking area between the galleries. (Tickets were $100 the day of the Gala.) I was in the upper gallery with artists J through W, and I spent a nice time talking to some of my collectors and the other artists. Festivities ended at seven.

Today, Saturday, is the public sale, which runs from 10 to 3. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello - and buy a painting!

After the public sale, I'll head right home to resume packing for Zion. This is "In the Footsteps of Thomas Moran," the third annual invitational plein air event at Zion National Park. (For details, visit www.zionpark.org.) I'll get there Sunday evening with the event starting Monday and running through the following Sunday. There are several workshops and free demonstrations throughout the week, followed by a Quick Draw and auction on Friday. The event culminates in a Buyer's Preview Gala on Friday night and a public wet paint sale on Saturday and Sunday.

Invited artists include:

• Mark Bangerter
• Joshua Been
• Arlene Braithwaite
• Doug Braithwaite
• Royden Card
• Michelle Chrisman
• John Cogan
• Bets Cole
• Bill Cramer
• Cody DeLong
• Dennis Farris
• George Handrahan
• Brad Holt
• William Scott Jennings
• Michael Chesley Johnson
• Donal Jolley
• Roland Lee
• Gloria Miller Allen
• David Nakabayashi
• P.A. Nisbet
• Sheila Savannah
• Kathleen Strukoff
• Anne Weiler-Brown
• Seth Winegar

Sedona Plein Air Festival - Day 6

"Oak Creek Shadows" - sold!

The Quick Draw is sometimes seen as the ultimate test of the plein air painter.  In two hours, you are expected to create a one-shot masterpiece with bravura, frame it and then transport it safely to the display area.  This is hard enough when you're off on your own, but it's even harder with a vocally curious public at your elbow.  Imagine a ballet dancer - and now imagine that ballet dancer being pelted with questions about where she's from and where she got her training as she tries to execute a quadruple pirouette.  Luckily, my experience has been that most of the public has been well-trained and just watches.  I'm always happy to narrate as I paint, of course, and I do if someone is nearby.

I got to the Quick Draw location about an hour early.  Some artists go the day before to scope out locations; I'm familiar enough with the creekside area of the Los Abrigados resort to not have to.  But I did want to get there early enough to get my spot.  I had a couple in mind.  One was a large sycamore with a fantastic, Medusa-like collection of roots.  But the more I thought about it, the more I decided the complex root structure would give me fits.  (It might be something I'll tackle on a day when I'm painting for myself.)  So, I settled on a more calming scene with water and strong contrast.  The rain we had the day before has made all the creeks run red, and the red was a beautiful accompaniment to the yellowing greens.

The painting went well, and it sold during the sale following the Quick Draw.  I was happy about that, as it made up for the Main Street paintout day in which someone bumped into the finished painting with disastrous results.   Kevin Macpherson complimented me on the painting's strong color, and that made me happy, too.

I spent the rest of the day framing up pieces, and then we delivered them to the Sedona Arts Center.  The hanging is this morning (Friday), and tonight is the Gala Event.  It's time to get the paint out of my hair!

Sedona Plein Air Festival - Day 5

Jerome always comes up with the most interesting weather.  One year, we had snow squalls on "Jerome Day."  I remember Jill Carver bundled up and painting while the snow piled up on her palette.  We didn't have that yesterday, but we did have a terrific and sudden amount of rain.  There was even a tornado warning issued for Prescott, not too far away as the cloud flies.

Dawn came with just a few clouds.  After visiting the hospitality tent for a cup of coffee and half a bagel, I headed up the hill to a little park that overlooks the Spirit Room.  This is a popular bar furnished with pool tables and ne'er-do-wells.  But at 8 in the morning, its doors are shut, the billiard balls quiet and, I assume, the ne'er-do-wells elsewhere.  What I like about the Spirit Room is its shape and color.  It's a building with doors that open on the corner, and it has some beautiful greens in the trim.  Shadows from the buildings across the streets change the color in interesting ways.  It is Jerome at its most picturesque.

About an hour into the painting, the sun suddenly vanished.  An ominous cloud, stained with Prussian Blue, loomed over the mountain behind me.  When the first drops came down, I thought I'd wait out the shower and stand over my easel with the umbrella.  But then the blue deepened, the wind picked up and I heard my first crack of thunder.  Since I was in a high, exposed place, I decided to pack up.  No sooner did I get in the car than the rain began.

And it kept on.  I finally got tired of sitting in the car and, with my umbrella, made my way back to the hospitality tent.  I joined some of the other artists - Will Tapia, Tracey Frugoli and Betty Carr -  in keeping the tent from blowing away in the gusts.  The rain, wind and lightning went on for a good half-hour, maybe more, and I was thankful I'd chosen to not wait it out in the open.

The rain finally ended, blue sky opened up, and I was able to get back to my spot and finish the painting.  The shadows had changed completely, of course, but I always get those down first,  just in case.  Afterward, I went up to the Asylum restaurant with a fine view of the Verde Valley.  The storm had hunkered down over Cottonwood and Sedona, and I could tell it was unleashing a torrent.

Spirit Room Morning, 9x12, oil

Today, we're off to Los Abrigados in Tlaquepaque for the Quick Draw.   Then, later this afternoon, we turn in our paintings for the hanging.

By the way, this day marks six years of blogging - 673 posts, a prime number.