Paint the Aspens

Last week I participated in a week long plein air event called Paint the Aspens. The event is co-sponsored by Gwen Pentecost, owner of The Joyous Gallery in Pinetop, Arizona, and the Arizona Plein Air Painters Association. Painters arrived in Pinetop beginning Saturday, October 4th. Canvasses or paper supports artists paint on must be stamped at the gallery prior to their creating a work to be eligible for the event competition. I arrived in Pinetop Sunday afternoon and checked into the Best Western motel. After unpacking I drove to the gallery to have my pastel paper stamped. I had 8 sheets stamped as I had no idea how many paintings I would create before the Friday noon deadline.

My timing appeared to be perfect. The weather on Sunday on my arrival was cold and windy with rain, hail and even snow in the higher altitudes! However, the five days that I was painting beginning with Monday were gorgeously sunny. Monday was quite chilly. As you can see, I had on two sweatshirts, my painting apron and still felt the chill even though I was in the sun.


However, despite the chill, the aspens were showing their fall brilliance in contrast to the Sunrise Ski Resort ski runs that were white with the snow that fell on Sunday. The cold produced magic in regards to the aspens coloration. Over the week the aspen color more than doubled while the temperatures warmed and the snow on the ski runs slowly disappeared. By Wednesday I was painting in just a t-shirt by the afternoon. Check out these sample photos I took:


What a week! I heard elk bugling, had to stop in the road for herds of horses, deer and cattle to cross. Fresh air, rustling leaves and pine needles, and painting all day long in Mother Nature at her best with kindred souls!

I painted seven paintings during the week. Two were accepted into the month long Paint the Aspens Gallery Show at the Joyous Lake Gallery in Pinetop. Here they are:

I will add the other pieces that I painted to my website as I put the finishing touches on them at home here in my studio. Now my fingers are crossed that one or both of the pieces sell during the next month!

I can't wait until next year to participate again. However.....there is much to do to prepare paintings for the upcoming Arizona Art Alliance Show and to hopefully be juried into the Arizona Art Guild Show, both of which are in early November.

Onward!!!