Hands-on Art
Kevin Berend & Grace Welker: “Where I’m From” Poetry Session
COST: Free / Minimum 2, Maximum of 20 / All ability levels
To RSVP, please sign up here.
Like visual art, writing offers a window into our relationship with the land. Poetry provides a unique perspective to reflect on those relationships. In this session, we’ll read and analyze George Ella Lyon’s famous poem “Where I’m From”, then use it as a template to create our own versions from our own life experiences. Participants will be invited to share their work and engage in discussion about process, style, and technique.
Instructors will provide copies of George Ella Lyon’s poem “Where I’m From.”
Please bring notebook, pen/pencil.
Kevin Berend is an environmental scientist and freelance writer who lives in Escalante, where he organizes a local creative writing group. His work has appeared in Adirondac, Appalachia, and Northern Woodlands. You can read more of his work here.
Grace Welker, MEd, is a lifelong reader, writer, and traveler, who channeled her passion for communication first into a career in the field of English as a Second/Foreign Language, then into a career in editorial direction and content curating in the fields of holistic health and personal transformation. She is the author of Oasis Pages: Teen Writing Quest, a roadmap for teens to develop an engaging and enjoyable daily writing habit. Grace is finishing an MFA in creative writing at Manhattanville College and working on a mystery for middle-grade readers set at a rock art site in Utah, where she currently lives.
Lonny Granston: Up Close and Personal with the ‘Great White Shark Fin’
No Cost/ Minimum 1; Maximum 20/ All ability Levels
To RSVP, please sign up here.
Great White Shark Fin
The Great White Shark Fin (not an official USGS designation) is a big triangular hunk of petrified sand dune that transitions from sparkling white to shades of pink, blue and yellow as the sun gets lower. It’s various geometric shapes and patterns make it a delight to paint.
Meet 10 miles east of Escalante at the hairpin turn-out on the right (just as 12 starts it’s drop to the east) and carpool 2 1/2 miles to the location on Spencer Flat road.
Bring whatever you need to complete an image of the Great White Shark Fin – Lonny will provide ice cold beverages.
In 1979, Lonny Granston was voted ‘most artistic’ by his fellow graduating seniors at his rural Iowa high school. After a realistic assessment of his prospects as an artist, he went to medical school. Co-founder of a busy primary care practice, he has called Boulder, Colorado home for the past 34 years. During his time there, he has managed to marry a beautiful woman, help raise a wonderful daughter, win a few triathlons, paint some pretty pictures and even see a patient or two. In 2009 he entered his first plein air contest at the Escalante Canyons Art Festival and was shocked when he won a prize. Since that time, he has been a returning participant and enjoys being involved with both the festival and the community.
Lonny is represented by Ana’s Gallery in Boulder and Osmosis Gallery in Niwot, Colorado.
Suzanne Gibson: Plein Air and Alla Prima – Composition Light & Shadows
COST: $25 / Minimum 5; Maximum of 20 / All ability levels
This Hands-on Art mini workshop will be taught in oil, but is adaptable to all mediums. From thumbnail sketches, students will bring a composition to life! Outdoor painting of a still life is an ideal exercise to become familiar and comfortable with the elements of plein air, and not have the objects get up and walk away (such as a cow or deer).
Suzanne works from a primary color palette and will sketch in pencil or direct thin paint washes, including “blocking in” and “underpainting,” to details and final canvas.
Attendees will meet at the Hands-on Art Tent and then walk to a nearby location to position themselves to paint plein air.
Suzanne will provide sketchbooks and aqua pencils.
Attendees are encouraged to bring easel or board, chair, umbrella (if needed) sunscreen, snacks, paints, paper, canvas and choice of tools.
Suzanne welcomes any questions by text (310-739-5978) or email (suzannegibsonartist@gmail.com).
Suzanne Gibson is a Plein Air painter and art instructor. She was born in Northern England and has lived in Southern California for over 40 years. She resides with her husband and 3 children in the South Bay. Suzanne has a BA in Interior Design and has been teaching art for over 20 years to students ranging from 3 years to 93 in local community art programs, Zoom-Studio, and in the classroom.
Suzanne continues to develop art projects, programs and experiences for all levels of experience. Suzanne explores throughout California and beyond to paint local beach and coastal views, gardens, and mountains. Suzanne adds to her list of favorite locations with every plein air painting she creates: vast blue skies with fabulous clouds, scenic farmland and rolls of hay, to antiques and old structures… and trees! Lots of trees!
You can see more of her work at https://suzannegibson.blogspot.com/
Raymond King Shurtz: Short Fiction using Landscape Paintings
COST: $25 / Minimum of 3 / Maximum of 12 / All ability levels
In this session, we will be using a plein air painting of your choice from the festival to write a short fiction story. The first hour we will talk about short fiction and choose the painting we will write from. The second hour we will write our story, integrating character, setting, conflict, plot and theme from our painting. The last hour we will read our stories and talk about the readings. This is a magical way to work!
Western Interiors
“…It was as if suddenly the sky and cliffs were bound to these men whose ancestors had stood in the same spot, three hundred years before, when there were no weathermen to explain the way and why the violent sky moved…”
Please bring a computer or notebook and a cell phone with a camera if possible.
Raymond King Shurtz has written more than 30 plays, three published with Samuel French and Anchorage Press/Dramatic Publishing. The Founding Artistic Director of Playwright’s Workshop Theatre in Phoenix, Raymond produced eighty new plays in his 12-year tenure with the company. In 1998, he began teaching, theatre, film and humanities at Metro Arts, a high school for the performing and visual arts in Phoenix, Arizona, where he taught and produced another ten years of new theatre. His play, Blue Baby, A Memoir won the Playwriting Fellowship in 2003 from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Since 2008, he has worked as a free-lance director, actor, writer, and musician. In 2009, Raymond produced and performed his one man show, Bohemian Cowboy at The Elephant Theatre, which was the ‘pick of the week’ in The LA Weekly, and subsequently performed it approximately seventy-five times in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Southern Utah, and twenty-three shows in Austin, Texas. He also fronts a country/rock/western band, Out on Bail, and also performs solo acoustic shows for Hilton Hotels. His Anthology, ‘Seven Plays of the American West’ was released in 2019 by Five Sisters Press. All of his plays are available on Amazon, Dramatic Publishing, Samuel French, and Five Sisters Press.
Althea Neustaedter: Painting Escalante’s Birds
COST: $25 / Minimum 15; Maximum of 30 / All ability levels
Join Professor Althea Neustaedter, an experienced art teacher from Southern Utah University, for a session focused on painting the majestic birds of Escalante, Utah. Participants of all skill levels will explore color theory and painting techniques to create stunning artworks featuring iconic bird species such as eagles, falcons, ravens and more.
Under Professor Neustaedter’s guidance, you’ll learn to use watercolor or acrylic to capture the unique characteristics of these birds in their natural habitats. The workshop covers color mixing, composition, and medium-specific techniques. All materials and references are provided.
Art Assignment:
- Select a bird species found in Escalante and study its appearance, behavior, and habitat. Choose from one of the bird references provided or bring your own.
- Sketch the bird, emphasizing proportions, posture, and striking features. Guidance and technical drawing and instructions will be provided. Tricks for capturing accurate drawing for those who need assistance ( it is not necessary to be an expert drawer).
- Compose a painting that showcases the bird and its environment.
- Apply color theory and painting techniques to create a lifelike representation.
Professor Neustaedter will provide personalized feedback and support throughout the workshop, ensuring that you have the tools to create a remarkable work of art celebrating Escalante’s birds.
Watercolor paints and Paper and Acrylic/oil Paint and paint brushes and Canvas /Canvas paper and many images of birds will be provided to work from. You have the option of bringing your own supplies.
Althea Neustaedter was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She lived in Escalante, Utah for 10 years, where she created an art department at the high school, enriching the small town with her passion for the arts. Currently, Althea works as an art professor at Southern Utah University (SUU), teaching painting and drawing classes. She has a rich educational background in the arts, holding a BA in Illustration from the California College of the Arts and Crafts, an MFA from the San Francisco Art University, and studied landscape painting and Art History at the Art Academy in Florence, Italy. Presently, while teaching as a professor she is also pursuing her doctorate at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (IDSVA), focusing on art philosophy and exploring historical mysteries through art. An existential thinker, speaker, and art advocate, she conducts workshops, delivers talks, judges competitions, and works tirelessly to promote art awareness in schools and communities.
You can see more of her work at https://www.altheaartactivism.com/.
Margie Lopez Read: Plein Air 4 U
No Cost / 2 Sessions / Maximum of 10 concurrent / Ages 5 and up
To RSVP for the 1:00 pm session, please sign up here.
To RSVP for the 2:30 pm session, please sign up here.
The focus of Plein Air 4 U in a special environment such as Grand Staircase Escalante is on the visitors and helping them use art to experience it more deeply. For this reason, one might call it a public art project, or Art at the Monument. By painting plein air in these very special environments, individuals can learn to see what is before them in a deeper, more meaningful way. The use of paint and brush to put those visions down and by taking home something they have created, they are very unlikely to forget their experiences. They will always remember Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
For this event, we will use watercolor paints. Substrate, paints and brushes will be supplied. Please wear old clothes or protective aprons.
Margie Lopez Read is an artist from Placerville, CA and Moab, UT, using art to generate funds for nonprofit organizations through a project called ‘Donation Art’.
In 2014 Margie was selected for Artist Residency at Cape Perpetua in Oregon. It was the Cape’s first residency and she was able to generate enough sales that they were able to continue the program up until the pandemic in 2020. During that residency, Margie developed a public participation in art, which she calls ‘Plein Air 4 U’. These are opportunities designed to be a non-threatening experience for everyone (young and old) to immerse themselves in their surroundings through paint. These events have proven to be very popular and successful. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdg7QJhs000.
She recently started workshops which consist of experimentation with “Patterns In Nature” as an exploratory conceptual experience embracing designs that nature herself creates. You can learn more about Margie’s art here.
Jill Simkins: Mosaic Wall Art
COST: $20 / Minimum 10, Maximum of 25 / All ability levels
A mosaic expresses form in basic organic shapes and designs. Hanging on a wall they sparkle and reflect light from the colors of broken glass and tile. This class is for ages 12 and up, minors should be accompanied by an adult. Join me in creating a mosaic in the “Pique Assiette” tradition by using recycled broken plates, ceramic figurines, sparkly costume jewelry, and other found objects. This class will be a fun, innovative and creative experience. We will get our hands messy and we’ll smash and break things!
Jill will provide a 7”x9” board with a wall-mount bracket, plates, tiles, adhesive, grout, and nitrate gloves.
Please bring a pair of safety glasses, hammer, tile nippers (a few will be available to share) an old towel, and a sponge. Also bring miscellaneous plates, tile, broken vases, and ceramic pieces if available, and a sketch of your desired design.
Jill is an Organic Vegetable Farmer who creates art in many mediums; using plants and flowers, magical garden paths, oil or water-color paint, clay, and by using recycled, found or worn out items. Living her life working outside in the soil and discovering this beautiful world by hiking, backpacking, catering horse-pack trips in the High Uintah’s, river rafting, or camping in her vintage trailer, has given her a great respect and love for the outdoors, which she attempts to capture on canvas. She especially enjoys painting cows, farm animals, and people. Her work has been sold in several galleries throughout the West.
She writes about her painting and adventures here.