Grand Canyon Plein Air Invitational

Fine Art By Becky Joy

I had some problems with my website for a couple of months, which resulted in deleting my blog. I thought I would just have one blog concentrating on art tips at Easel Notes Blog. I didn’t want to overload the Easel Notes Blog with my own images. So, I’m back to my own blog posting my paintings, my shows and events here. I may overlap on the two blogs at times, but this one is intended to be more personal than the other.

Now, on with my personal art business here. The Grand Canyon Plein Air Invitational started Sept 15 with a week of painting on the south rim. I loved the event and the people were absolutely wonderful to work with. Everyone was so enthusiastic and cooperative in working for a common goal, raising the money for a world class art museum to bring some of the important Grand Canyon painting to the South Rim. This event is the main fund raiser for the Grand Canyon Association, which works in partnership with the National Park.

Along with twenty some artists, I painted at the South Rim for 5 days. The weather started out clear and sunny, what you would expect for Arizona. About mid week a storm came, then the excitement started.  I was painting at one of the stops along Hermit Road with three other artists, Bill Cramer, Josh Been and Julia Seelos Munger. We saw the storm and clouds building on the north side of the Grand Canyon. The clouds were moving quickly across the canyon as we quickly painted. The clouds and distant rain made for some exciting plein air painting. Below is one of the paintings from that storm.

“Grand Canyon Storm” 8″x10″ oil on canvas panel

I know it wasn’t a competition for the most paintings painted, but I was very excited painting along the rim and all the activity of the storms. I completed the most painting during the week with 25 total, throwing 3 out and bring 1 home that I wasn’t certain about. It was a very productive week and I felt good about what I produced. I sold well and my quick draw sold for a good price at the auction.

Below are some of the paintings painted during the week. 

 “Grand Canyon Shadows” 9″x12″ oil on canvas panel

One of my favorites of the week with a strong composition by massing the shadows.

“Mather Point Tourists” 8″x16″ oil on canvas panel

At some point I just wanted to paint something different, so it was tourists. I painted this looking out on Mather Point. Then later in the day I painted the tourists waiting for a shuttle bus on Hermit Road.

Then there was the secluded location that I found. Yes, somewhere without people along Hermit Rd. I know, that sounds impossible, but I didn’t see anyone while I painted in the following location. I don’t remember exactly where on Hermit Road it was, but I walked along the rim and down into a wash that emptied into the Grand Canyon. I can imagine that when it rained it must have made a little waterfall trickling down the canyon wall.

“Soaring” 14″x11″ oil on canvas panel

I had a reason for calling this “Soaring”. Now call me crazy, but it was such a beautiful serene place without seeing a soul there. I wasn’t about ready to jump, but it certainly felt like a place that I could take off and soar. I with I had been a bird then. The small white mark below the tree branches down at the lower right is a bird that I saw soaring below me. I was in a place that was below the horizon of the canyon. I hated to leave there.

“Exuberance” 9″x12″ oil on canvas panel

This was my quick draw painting that was auctioned. I wanted to convey the energy and life of the pine tree. Despite it’s struggles along the edge of the canyon, it displays it’s exuberance in life in its twisted growth. I kept the canyon simple so that it didn’t compete with the tree and plants surrounding it.

This gives you some idea of the Grand Canyon’s Celebrate Art. This, of course, is just a small sample of the 21 paintings I had displayed at the Kolb Studio on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. As soon as I was finished at the Grand Canyon, I was off in the car and heading toward Jackson, WY to paint the fall color. More about that in the next post.

Happy Painting, Becky