"Duck Rock"
oil on canvas
14" x 18"
I had planned on camping at the Grand Canyon. I knew the chances of finding a primitive site
in the park were slim, but I wasn’t expecting for every campground in a 50 mile
radius to be full. I found a motel. I became a real connoisseur of cheap motels
during the trip. I opted for camping
when possible, but finding campsites in the late afternoon in scenic places can
be a challenge. I slept in my car a lot,
but always kept my eye open for a Motel 6 or an America’s Best Value Inn…some
of the finer cheap lodgings I can suggest.
Anyway, I made sure to be up and on my way to the park at 4:30 am to
catch the sunrise. I was not
disappointed. I spent a couple hours
marveling, hiked around the rim for a particular vantage point, did two
paintings of the canyon, wiped those two paintings off, drove along the rim to
a few more vistas, and then recharged with a healthy portion of peanut butter
crackers and trail mix. I gave painting
another shot, but was surprised at the difficulty of painting something so
vast, and by that time of day, super subtle.
I ended up with several paintings of Grand Canyon, but I’m
mostly glad I had the experience.
Painting on the edge of one of the most impressive geological areas in
the world is a reward in of itself. But
if there’s anything I’ve learned about painting western scenes, which I’ve
grown to love so much, it’s that photographs are not good references on their
own. To those of you plein air painters
out there, this is true in most cases.
But for me, the color, atmosphere (or lack of), distance, and subtlety
of the western landscape demands quite a bit more study. I’ve never really considered plein air
paintings to be solely “studies for studio work”, as many painters do…but I’ve
always used what I learned from the experience of painting on location to help
me paint from photos, sketches, and my imagination while working in the
studio. More than ever, on this month
long excursion, I viewed most paintings as exercises in understanding the
colors and light of the variety of locations I painted at. In total, I probably cranked out 50-60
paintings, the majority of which I’m considering “studies”. This is a new approach for me, but I’m
already feeling very confident in what I learned. I guess what I’m trying to say is…I made some
really good ugly paintings and I’m looking forward to using them as references
for upcoming studio work. I found myself
very frustrated at times, but looking at the paintings at home, I’ve found a
lot of things to love about them. I’ve
got a lot of ideas in store…I can’t wait to start pumping out some monster
landscapes. You know, I rarely paint
pure landscapes here in Indiana….I think it’s something about the hugeness of
the West really excites me. That and the
“wanna-be mountain man seeking adventure within his Midwestern means” sort of
thing.
I spent the rest of my time at the Grand Canyon hiking. I walked about 10 miles total…two scenic rim
trails that offered anything you could ask for from a dirt path. I finished the day riding the shuttles up to
some of the scenic overlooks, taking photographs, and watching the sun set with
my feet dangling over a 1,000 ft. drop.
It was amazing. Oh, and I almost
hit an elk…scared me to death.
The next morning, I got up at the same time and went back
into the park to watch another sunrise.
I brought a guitar with me (I play guitar) to play should the mood
strike. It struck, so I played for a
while before loading up and hitting the road again. I’ll be going back to Grand Canyon soon I’m
sure. I really want to do one of the day
hikes down to the river. In fact, I’ve
heard several people talk about the rafting trips through the canyon…and I’ve
already started researching. I’ve got a
lot on my to-do list.
And then came the desert…
