Plein Air Tuesday - 5/ 28/24 -- Secret Slickrock Trail

 

Suzette and I arrived at the parking area and saw a few vehicles, and a couple more pulling in.  Guess everyone was anxious to get started.

Suzette

In case you're thinking that "Oh, it must've been cool out", you'd be wrong.  Suzette is covered from head to toe because of our overly friendly noseeums, who apparently really, really like her.

Christine pulled in right next to us, dressed more according to the temp than the bugs.

Christine

Mike

As you can see, Mike pulled in right after Christine.  Gee, the way I took the pic it looks like he's driving downhill or maybe that's just what Jeeps do.

As we were standing there talking, I saw this person wandering along the edge.

Sophie "The Wanderer"

How about that, it was Sophie who already had scoped out various spots. She quickly wandered over to join in a little conversation.

(L to R) Suzette, Sophie, Christine

Next a car passed by with a waving driver.  I waved, but I actually couldn't tell who I was waving to.

Betty

Turns out it was Betty no Bob (they usually ride together).   Turns out Bob couldn't make it this day but we were all glad to see Betty! At this point everyone started off looking for spots.  As it turned out Nori was already there and setup.

Nori, Suzette, Christine, Betty (Nori's spot)

Here's a better view of Nori in her spot.   I eventually wound up coming back to this area and using it as my spot which is just in front of the parking area.

Nori

I think that's actually a spot she painted from when we were here before.  Then I heard a bark and turned around to find Tecla and Roxie.

Tecla, Roxie

Tecla arrived without Carolyn, but she brought Roxie for company.  And as I headed across the way while I was still undecided on my spot I saw a car pull in that I was pretty sure I recognized.

LeAnne

Turns out it was carrying LeAnne.  The pic was taken from a distance so you can't see her smile, but I can assure you she was smiling!

While I was still out looking around for my spot I found Betty and Christine in their spots, see.

Betty

Christine

Nice unobstructed views of our artists 🙄.  Ok, I know they could've been pictures of Big Foot for all we know.   I think I can give you some improved versions.

Betty in her spot

Christine in her spot

Oh, I just found one of me in my spot - here it is.

My spot and me behind the painting

Guess you can't see me, but you get the idea.

Tecla came over to tell me she had to leave as it was too hot for Roxie (and her).  She already put her actual painting away but I was able to get proof of her having painted, look close.

Tecla

That's NOT mustard on her shirt.  For sure yellow paint was involved.

Christine also had to leave early but showed me an early start to her painting.

Before long (those 2 hours go by fast)  I saw Suzette come walking over my way.  She had finished so I packed up my stuff (although it still needed a lot of help) and suggested we take a walk on the other side of the road to see if we could find the rest of the group.

Sophie, Suzette

It didn't take us long to encounter Sophie in her spot.  We assured her she had time to work a bit more but could start packing up when she saw us returning.  We continued down to the end of that trail before the carved steps down to a lower shelf and encountered no one else.  So, we've no idea where Mike and LeAnne wound up, but we had a pleasant walk.

We saw a few more pretty views.

So, we headed back and found that everyone who remained were also now ready to set up a gallery.

Although there were 9 of us to start, only 6 remained to endure the intense sun in a location that had no shade to speak of.  It was decided this location is best saved for the cooler months, so we won't be seeing a Day 2 this time.  In spite of that, we still all managed to gather together and smile on 2.

(Front Row) Leaning Betty
(Middle Row L to R) Sophie, Me, Suzette, LeAnne
(Back Row) Mike

Till next week at a new location!

Cecilia

Plein Air Tuesday - 5/21/24 - Jerome, Day 2

What do you see?  Pick something, what do you mean it's too difficult - what would you have done??  Perspective is always a fun thing to work on, right?  What else can you do when you're in Jerome, our little vertical town.

Ok, enough complaining on my part.  Let's get to talking about who showed up for Day 2.

Nori, Kathi (the Jeromeian, Jeromer, hmmm -- anyway, this is Her place)

As far as I know, these two were the first to arrive.  I rode up the very winding rode with Suzette who's back from Hawaii and in case you were wondering, she had a very good time.  While Suzette and I were gathering our stuff, Carolyn and Tecla pulled in.

Carolyn, Tecla, Suzette

While we stood there talking, it was pointed out to me that Bob was already there and had a spot up above the parking lot.

Bob - you'll have to search for him - "Find Bob", gee I created a game

Then Nori pointed to a plein air umbrella by a bench in that little park.  Turns out it was Diann who was already getting started as well in her spot.

Diann

 Suzette and I walked up steps to a street that went towards another street -- as you can tell, this isn't going to be an overly informative post as I failed to get a LOT of information.  I mean I MISSED A LOT, besides not getting names of streets for reference, I also didn't find out who all showed up until the end.  Anyway, I did get a shot of our smiling LeAnne as she arrived.

LeAnne

Now, I'm not positive, but I think that red chair belongs to Kathi.  Oh look at that photo, you can tell just how steep the streets were by looking behind LeAnne.  The street just falls off.

Walked on a little further and found Mike in his spot under a tree. What a convenient setup he had.  Not sure if those are steps or just the way the wall is built.

Mike

And, at this point my only explanation is I did a lot of walking up and down steps as I tried to find a spot while navigating the hills of Jerome.  And, since I had to watch where I was walking (the sidewalks and steps are all uneven) ..., I couldn't take pics.  I'm saying this because I have no more photos 😳.  That is none until the end when our 2 hours were up.

It really did take me a while to decide on a spot and I really did climb up and down MANY steps.  My problem clearly was that I had too many choices.  I also wanted to avoid the construction noise from the restoration work that was going on.  However, I managed to stand near where the landscape workers came to do their job 🙄 once I was set up and already started of course.  So, it wasn't quiet.

I did wind up talking with some visitors, one of who was also an artist and they were thrilled to see artists dispersed throughout the area painting and I did see where they went over and visited with Diann as well.

Thankfully, the group is smart enough to gather together in a central location after 2 hours and everyone agreed that the gallery should be in the same location as last week.  When I arrived at the gallery location I was shocked to find there were so many people there.  I clearly quit doing my job early!  There were also 2 strangers in the gathering.  Turned out to be Betty's daughter, Tabatha and a granddaughter from another daughter, Dagny, how about that!  How terrific it was a fitting location for wandering around and for taking photos as her granddaughter, Dagny, is a photographer or studying photography.  Anyway, she had the real deal, not just a phone cam.

I know they're not all there because my counts don't match up.  There were definitely more people there than there are paintings.  And, as proof of that we do have the group photo below which also includes Betty's family and they also smiled on 2.

Oh look, we're stacked just like all the buildings we were surrounded by!

All rows are L to R 
Front Row - Nita, Tecla, Me, Betty, Tabatha (Betty's D), Dagny (Betty's GD)
Middle Row - Carolyn, LeAnne, Pat, Diann, Bob, Christine, Kathi, Nori
Back Row - Mike, Suzette

Hope you were able to tell who was who as we were also staggered in and out and up and down -- just like the buildings!  

As you can see, I wasn't kidding when I said I Missed A LOT of people.  There had to be spots all over the place.  Well, the tourists certainly got their entertainment and it made Jerome look like an even bigger artist colony than it already is.

Day 2 marked the end of that challenge for right now.  However, we'll need to add Jerome to a more regular rotation so that we can all keep practicing architecture and perspective, maybe even throw in a ghost or two next time plus some of the other oddities that are there.

Till next week!

Cecilia

Plein Air Tuesday - 5/14/24 - Jerome

Hi All!

Well, I wasn't there, BUT 10 artists showed up and apparently had a very good time.  I know this because Nori was kind enough to put her other great talent of writing to work to give us this very entertaining recap of the morning's events.

*******

Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Jerome

By Nori Thorne

Driving old 89-A to Jerome is like playing an on-the-road version of Whack-A-Mole, with hairpin turns, potholes, a flock of plastic flamingoes in aviator shades, dogs, cats and ghosts running out in front of the car, and a breathtaking pale blue landscape spreading out below. 

Ten of us met up to paint our versions of beloved Jerome. I had the advantage of being with Kathi Feher, who lives there and let us in on her secret spots. We set up above the ruins of Victoria’s Market with Julia and her friend, new to our group. Notice the “Tenants Only” sign above Kathi’s head that we’re completely disregarding? Big oopsie! We were later told to move in no uncertain terms by the tenant who was immune to whining and bribery. 

Kathi Feher and highly decorated Jerome resident look at Nori’s painting. 

Kathi (the flip side of above photo)  and a random stranger

Julia painting Victoria’s Market ruin (note “Tenants Only” sign) 

Bob, Tecla, Betty, and Nita all set up in front of the unusual Flatiron Building, with its convergence of streets. 

Nita painting the Flatiron building

Betty working her magic in front of the Flatiron Building 

Mike found a shady spot overlooking the valley, slowly becoming obscured by smoke from a wildfire. He said he was trying to capture the soft atmospheric perspective with his watercolors. 

Mike

Diann and Mark, part-timers who also live in Washington set up in the shady little park, where Diann painted one of the old mercantile buildings.  [An aside by Cecilia -- turns out that is how Diann spells her name, I had it wrong last week]

Mark, Diann 

***********

Thank you Nori -- what a great recap and we all very much appreciate not only the time you took to write it up but also the time invested in taking the photos.

Speaking of Photos, but wait there's more!!  Betty and Bob got to work on their portion of this blog at the end of the morning and have provided us with a gallery photo and as always, the fun group photo.

What a talented group, great looking paintings & sketches.  What's also amazing about the gallery is that Nori's and Kathi's pieces showed up to participate, even though Nori and Kathi had left.  Just goes to prove that our paintings really do have a mind of their own.

Now, I didn't find out how they took the group shot or if they all smiled on 2 or not, but they are all smiling!

Front Row (L to R) Nita, LeAnne, Betty, Diann
Back Row (L to R) Julie, Mike, Bob, Mark

What a pretty setting and a great photo!

That's all for this week and thank you once again to Nori, Betty & Bob.

Cecilia

Plein Air Tuesday - 5/7/24 - Aerie Trailhead - Day 2

 

I was the first to arrive but it didn’t take long for  Betty (who finally returned from touring Italy - she had a very nice time) showed up with Bob.

Betty & Bob

They were followed by Carolyn and Tecla. 

Carolyn & Tecla

As we were talking another vehicle pulled up and a smiling person got out and walked over, she said "Hi, I'm Diane and I'm new".  How about that, a New Girl who it turns out has really been on the list for a long time.  She's really a part timer but wants to join us for the few times a year she's here.  In fact, she'll be here for the Slide Rock Fall Fest and plans on participating.  So welcome Diane and we're very happy to have you join us whenever you can!

New Girl Diane (I know not a good photo for face recognition)

Then Mike came zooming (literally) in.

Mike and his Mug

Then, last but by no means least, it was the Birthday Girl 🥳 Nita.  She celebrated being over 21 the day before.

Nita the Birthday Girl

Ok, now before I get into finding spots I have a few announcements to make.  So, apparently it's Award Season.  

Congratulations to Mike who won the first  place award at the Cottonwood Fair.

The other congratulations goes to Nori who will be the "Artist in Residence" at The Amerind Museum in Dragoon, AZ https://www.amerind.org/ for 4 days in October.  Those days happen to coincide with the Slide Rock Fall Fest, so she obviously won't be joining us for that.  But a Big Congratulations to Nori!

Well, before everyone headed off to their spots, some more chatting went on -- this day everyone seemed to be very talkative!

Tecla, Nita

Then off they went.  Here's Tecla and Nita once again but now off in search of their spots.

(L to R) Nita, Tecla 

Alright, I know that's once again "not a good photo for face recognition", but I wanted to give you perspective.  I'll zoom in so you know I'm not just taking pics of random strangers.

Ok, so Nita's face isn't showing but surely you recognize her chair which is sort of hidden by the shrub 😳

Anyway, Tecla's spot was just about where they were talking and Nita continued on up a way to hers.

Nita in her Spot

Tecla in her Spot

Diane's spot turned out to be that nice little plot of land in the middle of the parking lot that you have to drive around.

Diane in her Spot

Hmm, guess you still can't see her face.  Guess you'll have to wait till the end.

Bob actually thought Diane's spot was ideal too and picked a rock to sit on nearby.

(L to R) Bob on rock, Tree Branch, Diane

Carolyn picked the spot where we set up our gallery last week.

Carolyn in her Spot

Hmm, just realized that Carolyn's spot may not have been so ideal.  Guess she was lucky, but I wouldn't advise tucking your feet and stuff under rocks as those things with rattles will be becoming active.  I had wandered around a little bit to talk to those nearby and this happened to my spot.

My Spot with Thanks to Mother Nature

In case you were wondering, a strong breeze picked up!!  Believe it or not, nothing broke and the 2 containers of water did NOT spill themselves on my painting, but did water the plants.

I took that as my signal to pack up.  I didn't find Mike's spot nor Betty's.  But, they found spots and painted because they showed up for the Gallery.

Once again everyone was talking so much we all almost forgot that we still hadn't smiled on 2.  So, we promptly converged around those rocks and did so.

Front Row - Betty
Second Row (L to R) Tecla, Carolyn, Bob, Nita, Mike
Third/Back Row (L to R) Me, Diane

Yeah, still not a good photo of Diane for face recognition -- hmm, perhaps next time.  But, those of us who were there will recognize her!!

Cecilia