Plein Air Tuesday - 8/26/25 - Jim Thompson Trailhead - Day 1

 

A view right from the parking lot -- while there are many trails to follow and you can venture much further, the convenience of the parking lot views were hard to ignore.

So, I returned from vacation this week and as I seem to do after vacation, I forgot to take a lot of pics from the Tuesday morning outing.  So, while the above is one of the views, there are others, I just don't have pics of them.

Anyway, let's get to pics of those who were there besides me.  Just FYI, that morning I did receive a text from Nita saying she couldn't make it, Nori had previously told me she couldn't be there as she was doing the hanging for that show at the Methodist Church.  This meant that I wasn't sure who, if anyone, would be showing up.

Fortunately, just a few minutes after my arrival Pat showed up.

Pat

Ok, not the best photo -- caught Pat mid-word apparently and my finger decided to take over the bottom corner - told you it's the "having been on vacation" problem I develop.

The next person to show up is someone else who has been away for quite a while on vacation.

Betty

That's Betty, who's been missing for an extended vacation and LOOK, I caught her mid-word too!  I'm sure both these ladies are just thrilled that I posted these stunning photos of them -- but my choices were limited because, as I said, I forgot to take photos.

Jim, the hiker, and Dona showed up next.

(L to R) Jim, Dona

Jim looked around and couldn't wait to get started -- he pointed to the top of a peak which looked pretty far away and said that was where he was headed.  I reminded him, we're only here for 2 hours.   Dona then told me that was ok, we didn't have to stick around waiting for him.  I became very confused by that, was she just going to leave him there??  

Jim, Dona

The above photo was taken right after I gave Dona the weird and surprised look about her leaving him there.  Then she explained, she meant the rest of us didn't have to stick around - she really would wait and even brought a second canvas to paint while waiting
.

Here's our smiling LeAnne who showed up next.

LeAnne

And then, last but not least, Mike pulled in. 

Mike

Oh look, he doesn't have a mug -- wow, can we be sure it's really Mike or  could it be "You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"  Or, maybe he just got up earlier than normal and drank it all already and it's really just another Plein Air Tuesday.  I don't know, you decide!

Well, as I mentioned earlier no one really went far from the parking area, however, it should be noted that the parking area is huge and this particular area is gated off, so there are no vehicles in it.

Here's Betty doing a little exploring to start.

Betty taking a look around

We had some bikers come riding through the area - there were 2 of them, here's one.

Random person on a bike

Those tires are huge!  They obviously weren't doing any trails.  Wow, just realized, I guess those are "grown up Big Wheels".

I did manage to capture everyone at least "near" their spots, if not exactly in them.

Pat in her spot

LeAnne in her spot

Just noticed, LeAnne is now standing and painting.  She normally can be found sitting in her colorful chair.  Bet she has a new plein air setup that's caused this transition.

Dona in her spot

So, a little story about Dona's equipment.  At the end of the morning when we were getting ready to take pics, I had to move Dona's tripod.  The thing weighs a TON, whoa, she doesn't need to lift weights - just carry that around for a morning!  

Betty took the spot near the picnic table.

Betty in her spot

Oh look, while catching a pic of LeAnne packing up, I also caught my spot.

LeAnne, and my spot on the photo's edge

Mike chose a spot ALL the way over on the other side of the parking lot.  I was running out of time, so I only walked halfway across that big empty lot to try and get a pic of him then zoomed in.

Mike in his spot, also packing up

I'm sure you're wondering just how big is this lot that I didn't make it over there.  Well, turns out you'll just have to join us next time to find out, BECAUSE, I didn't take pictures of it 😟

So here is our gallery - 6 artists, 6 paintings, one parking lot and 6 different views -- maybe it was The Twilight Zone.

Well, Jim didn't make it back for photos.  However, Dona said she heard from him and he was on his way back.  But, the rest of us, bet you know what we did.  We all smiled on 2.

Back Row - Mike
Front Row - Me, Betty, Dona, Pat, LeAnne

So, the question is, is it the camera that's tilted, or, are we all leaning?  Interestingly LeAnne is leaning one way while Betty & I are leaning the other way - OK, cue the TZ theme song!  Oh geez, take a look at that sky too - it fits right in.

'Till next time!

Cecilia

Plein Air Tuesday - 8/19/25 -Day 2 -Swimming Hole near Southwestern Academy

 I’m certain it was a very pretty morning, although I wasn’t there.  However, there were 3 artists that showed up and 1 hiker, bet you can guess who the hiker was.

From the photos that Dona provided I can tell you that the artists were Dona, Nita and Mike.  The hiker, of course was Jim.  Jim apparently was also the photographer - thanks Jim!!  Unfortunately, that means there are no pics of Jim.

While I was only provided with their end results, we can guess as to where their spots were based on what they painted.  After all, they were Plein air painting.  

Clearly 3 great artists showed up and they all captured the light beautifully!  No wonder they’re all smiling.

Nita, Dona, Mike

With a big thank you to Jim for the great photos, till next week.

Cecilia

Plein Air Tuesday - 8/12/25 - Swimming Hole near Southwestern Academy

 

A new location for us - wow, what a treat!  Ed found this location, and we were all anxious to check it out.  Several of us, did manage to rumble our way down the dirt road to the designated parking area.

I arrived first, but following right behind me was Ed.

Ed

He thought that it was just going to be the 2 of us, but I knew it was early and I was pretty sure Mike and Nita would be joining us.  Not long after I mentioned that - the red Jeep pulled in.

Mike and his Jeep

Then shock of all shocks, the very next person to pull in WAS Nita! -- Whoa, this might just be a first.

Nita

She jumped out and promptly showed me her phone with the time.

Timestamp Nita - 7:29

Unfortunately, her screen went blank before I got the pic, but the timestamp on my photo says 7:29:59 am

She was actually EARLY -- very impressive!

Well, Nita wasn't the last to show up -- we had another happy artist join us.

Nori

Oh, speaking of Nori and before I forget, I need to let you all know about an event where she will have paintings exhibited.

It's a First Friday Exhibition, this gallery is actually located at the Sedona Methodist Church that's located on 179.  The roundabout where you turn is Indian Cliffs. Park at the top in the lot that's behind the Church -- you NAWS people will know it as the place where we used to have our meetings.  It's in the building that's right across from the hall.

While I'm at it, I should also let you know that Ed's son, who is also an artist, will be the featured artist at SAC (Sedona Arts Center) starting the same First Friday I think - we mi- 9/5.  His son is actually from out of Santa Fe and has paintings in galleries there.

Ok, back to our stuff.

So, that's not the end of artist arrivals.  Kirsten pulled up next.

Kirsten

Then, Jim the Hiker

Jim the Hiker

and needless to say, he brought Dona the artist!

Dona

Well, look at that, we almost filled the parking lot, although there were still a few spaces left.

We let Ed lead the way as there are multiple narrow paths that meander on down to the creek.

Ed on the red rocks, Kirsten following

While I was still trying to decide on a spot, I saw Jim in the middle of the Creek -- he sure gets around.

Jim waving

It was right around this point that I discovered what it was that I forgot.  I had changed packs to go with something lighter since I knew there were would be a lot of river rock wash navigating.  I knew it seemed like maybe I didn't get everything but did double check before I left the house.  Well, turns out what I forgot was to bring any type of canvas -- didn't even have a pad of paper.  But, I did bring my trusty little Guerrilla oil paint set 😏 - a lot of good that was going to do.  

Nita did come to the rescue though, she offered me some watercolor paper - I took a 1/4 of a 1/4 sheet.  It's a good thing that's all I took.  With it not being firm enough to really hang out in the Guerrilla while I tried to paint on it, it wound up being in my hand, along with the paper towels I had to wipe my brushes with.  So, you can just imagine the award winning painting I did in this scenario.    But, at least I got to paint.

Speaking of Nita - this was just after she graciously gave me that paper -- thank you Nita!!!!

Nita

Well, she scrambled around and under trees to get to her spot.

Nita

Ed picked a spot balancing on some rocks in the creek.

Back is Jim, Ed on the rock

Kirsten grabbed water from the creek

A group of 3 artists liked this nice shady spot.

(L to R) Dona, Jim, Mike, Nori

My spot was lonely, however, I did have ants that kept trying to keep me company.

Just when the sun was starting to really make it's presence known, it was time to wrap things up and head back to the cars where we were able to build a gallery along some rocks in front of the trail entrance.

Then, we had to perform another trick.  You see, not only did I forget a canvas or paper, I also forgot my phone holder for my tripod.  Oh dear, what do we do for a photo.  Well, it took some maneuvering and while Jim did double duty of taking a picture and getting in the photo.  It all worked out and we all laughed and smiled on 2.

(L to R) Kirsten, Dona, Nita, Mike, Nori, Ed, Me
Front Row - Jim

What a fun looking group -- they certainly make me smile!  Till next time!

Cecilia

Plein Air Tuesday - 8/5/25 - The Place That's Pretty When There's Water In It - Day 2

 

While that puddle you see there is technically "water", that's not what's meant by "pretty when there's water in it".  The cracked dry earth surrounding it should give you a clue that the creek is dry.  But, those are still some pretty awesome reflections.

The first people to greet me after I arrived were Dona, this time with Jim.

Dona, Jim

Mike showed up next, just after Dona and I were discussing the fact that I didn't really know who would be coming today.

Mike, Mike's Mug and his Red Jeep

LeAnne pulled in next.

LeAnne

Then a surprise, Kirsten showed up.

Kirsten

And, just as we were getting ready to head on down, 2 more showed up.

(L to R) Mike, Ed

Yes, I suspect our early starts have made it possible for Ed to join us before he heads off to work -- now that's a dedicated artist!

And, then our final arrival was Nori.

Nori

We all headed down the trail (sans Jim - as he had already took off for a hike) to our usual location, where on this day everyone decided to stop and take a good look at THAT TREE.  You know - the BIG one!

Big Tree
(L to R) LeAnne,  Mike, Dona, Kirsten, Nori, Ed

I know, Nori is a little hard to see, but if you look real close you'll see her right arm looking like it's coming from Ed's shoulder - she's wearing a long sleeved white top.

Here's the zoom of that.

See the white arm

We all discussed the tree and tried to guess its age, none of us had a clue, which led to random numbers  being thrown out.  So, after trying to research how old this tree could possibly be - it would appear that it's most likely over 100 years old due to its size.   A search found this statement  "some sources suggest that sycamores can live for 100 to 200 years, and some may even live over 500 years."

Well, so, there you go -- the final answer - no one knows.  Probably safe to assume it planted itself there a long time before any of us ever visited.

So, somehow when we got to our usual location, LeAnne wound up on the other side of the creek

LeAnne on the other side

She was soon joined by Nori and Mike.

(L to R) Nori, LeAnne

Mike in the shade

Well, Mike certainly picked the shady spot, at least to start.  I know he's hard to find in that pic due to all that shade.  Sort of like those kid's games, we'll call this one "Where's Mike".   Of course, I picked a spot in the shade but wasn't really paying attention as I lost my shade somewhere around 9:00.  Oh, our meet up time was 7:30 - a change from 8 because, well, it's Summer in Arizona.  

Ed continued to the bottom edge of that puddle and found his spot.

Ed

I do realize it's not the greatest photo of Ed,  but that's zoomed in as much as possible and still be recognizable and I clearly was tired of fumbling around trying to navigate the rocks.  Look at them.

Although that was the path Nori took to get to the other side -- see that white dot out there.  Here she comes after working her way across and then up the other side.

Nori, rounding the puddle - I know this is out of sequence

Our other artists (including me) found spots on the first side of the creek you encounter.

(L to R) Kirsten, Dona

We all painted for a while and then as I mentioned, the sun got to me, so I packed things up and headed back out towards the cars.  

LeAnne, however, captured a few pics I'm guessing maybe after she finished her painting.  She caught Nori and Mike having a discussion.

Nori, Mike (Photo by LeAnne)

Oh look, here's another one LeAnne took -- this proves I really was there painting.

Me, Kirsten

I also took a few pictures of the large wash on my way back to the car.

Looks wider than the actual creek

Before we put all paintings up for display, LeAnne captured a photo of group discussion about said paintings.

And here we all are - looks like we're admiring someone's painting.
(L to R) Kirsten, Nori, Ed, Mike, Dona, My back
(Photo by LeAnne)

I'd like to give a special thank you to LeAnne for the photos, especially since with her's you can actually see the people!

It wasn't long before the others joined me and one thing I realized in looking at the Gallery Photo -- using a big red vehicle is perhaps a little distracting from the paintings. 

Oh look at that -- Mike's vehicle is shiny enough to show the people looking at the paintings.  

Here's a better view of them (the paintings that is).

And the artists behind the paintings who all smiled on 2.

Back Row (L to R) - Kristen, Nori, LeAnne, Dona, Ed, Mike
Front Row - Jim, Me

You've probably guessed that Jim is not a painter - he's the hiker in the group who comes along with Dona.  He magically finds his way back to the meet up point right on time though.

Well, that's a wrap for this week.  Off to a different location next time.

Cecilia