Posts Tagged ‘grand teton association’
Image by Taylor Glenn
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
On Sunday, May 12th, National Geographic photographer Wade Davis makes an appearance at Jackson’s first annual Mountain Story Festival, courtesy of the Murie Center. There’s no getting away from the fact that climbing treacherous, challenging peaks here—and anywhere in the world—is a huge part of our culture. Climbers take in the outdoors in a mind-bending way. The closest I’ve come to being that high, with a few thousand feet between me and flat ground is the year I skydived, on a dare, at college. I’d do that again before I’d climb the Grand or any other giant, jagged, craggy mountain!
Others have infinitely more guts. These extreme personalities can’t keep themselves from climbing; they climb in their sleep. Which is why Davis’ talk on his new book “Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest” should be packed. Mothers, be warned! Content may be nerve racking! 7:00 pm start, Pink Garter Theater, downtown Jackson.
Wednesday, May 15th, the Murie Center’s Mardy’s Conservation Collection Book Club meets to discuss the Murie’s book, Wapiti Wilderness.
“In this autobiographical tale…Olaus and Mardy describe their life together, raising a family in the mountainous wilderness of the Tetons, while Olaus worked for the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey,” says the Center. The gathering takes place at the the Murie’s original home, Murie Ranch, in Moose, WY, at 6:30 pm. Lively discussion, reflection and inspiration are a promise. www.muriecenter.org.
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The Grand Teton Association (GTA) has announced its line-up of plein air artists for this summer’s “Artists in the Environment” (AIE) series, taking place the second Saturday of every month, June – September, in Grand Teton National Park(GTNP). Each of those weekends, regional plein air painters provide free painting demonstrations at locations throughout GTNP. Founded by the late, great plein air artists Greg McHuron and Conrad Schwiering, the program has offered countless visitors and art lovers a free chance to see artists capturing the beauty surrounding us.
I have a personal passion for this program~~I believe the history of plein air painting in this valley, and in the Greater Yellowstone Region, is one of America’s most important art history stories. Its tradition is unbreakable; the artists’ bonds are like steel.
For fifty years, the GTA has celebrated GTNP via the arts. All proceeds realized by the GTA serve to broaden education, research and interpretation of GTNP.
Times and locations are TBA, but participating artists for 2013 are: Dwayne Harty – June 15th; Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters & Co., – July 13th; Wendell Field - August 10th; and Fred Kingwill - September 14th. More on all these artists as summer progresses!
Cross my heart and can’t wait to do it again, one of the great highlights of my 2012 arts summer was the culmination of the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters’ (RMPAP) “Plein Air for the Park” National Paint-Out & Show. Last July, approximately 40 plein air artists converged in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the Jackson Hole area, painting their hearts out for two weeks. All paintings completed were exhibited and sold in a three-day event at GTNP’s Craig Thomas Discovery Center (CTDC), in Moose, Wyoming.
The place was PACKED. And there are those who missed last year’s event still notifying me they wish they’d been there. Recently, a senior Park employee confided to me that the Park, as a collective, loved the event. It all went off so beautifully that RMPAP is returning this summer, July 8 – 21st, 2013. The event benefits GTNP and is hosted by the Park and the Grand Teton Association (GTA). This year’s opening reception, at the CTDC, takes place Thursday, July 18th, beginning at 7pm. Awards will be presented at 7:45 by this year’s Judge, Chris Moran.
A Quick Draw takes place Saturday, July 20th, beginning at 9:00am, at Menor’s Ferry in GTNP. The public can watch paintings being created from start to finish; they then may purchase paintings right off the easel at the fixed-price sale immediately following, 11am – 12 noon. Approximately 44 professional, recognized artists will participate in this, RMPAP’s 12th Annual National Show.
The GTA began collecting works of art on behalf of the Park over 50 years ago; the collection has become a valuable part of GTNP’s legacy. Last year, two works were purchased by GTA for the Park’s permanent collection; two more were purchased by patrons and donated to the Park. AND, last year’s event raised close to $21,000 for GTA!
“It is a thrill and a pleasure to be back in GTNP and working with Grand Teton Association again this year,” says RMPAP President (and participating artist) Stephen C. Datz. “We welcome the opportunity to continue the artistic tradition at the Park, expand public awareness and appreciation of plein-air painting, and in so doing benefit the exceptional efforts of the GTA on behalf of the Park.”
Imagine this: Heading out into Jackson Hole, one of the most beautiful places on earth, with two of Jackson’s most noted photographers, for a workshop. You’d assume you’d need to be super adept at photography, yes? Well, you needn’t be super adept. You can be a beginner, and sign up for a 4-day fall photography workshop with two of Jackson’s veteran photographers, Ed Riddell and Jon Stuart.
“Chasing the Light” doesn’t require sophisticated photographic skills, but there is a maximum number of 16 students, allowing for a higher-quality experience. “Chasing the Light” takes advantage of our region’s special fall light, running Thursday, September 27 – Sunday, September 30, 2012. There is an option to add an extra day, October 1st, if you’d like to continue with a printing and image manipulation session with Riddell. The small student number assures learning a variety of approaches to different subject matter alongside two photographers with very different ways of “seeing the light.”
"Jackson Lake Mirror" 20 x 48 " Oil Greg McHuron
“PLEIN AIR FOR THE PARK” the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters (RMPAP) 11th Annual National Paint-Out and Exhibition, takes place July 1 – 15, 2012 in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). The two-week paint out brings together 44 professional artists from around the country, an event that is the first of its kind at GTNP. Beginning July 1st, participating artists (including several Jackson-based painters) will paint in GTNP and the Jackson Hole, Wyoming area. Artists will also conduct painting demonstrations daily at the Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitors Center (CTDVC) and the Jackson Lake Lodge’s Grand Room Deck, beginning July 7th and continuing through July 11th. Times are 9-11 AM and 4-6 PM, with the exception of Sunday, July 15th, when only a morning demonstration is planned.
"First Light on Mt. Moran," 8x10" Oil - S.C. Datz
Celebrating the Grand Teton Association’s 75th Anniversary and GTNP’s rich tradition of landscape painting, the event is a fundraiser to benefit GTNP. In addition to multiple opportunities to watch plein air artists in action as they work on paintings start to finish, ”Plein Air for the Park” will hold a Quick Draw on Thursday, July 12th, at CTDVC, 4-6:00 pm–beneath a Tetons late afternoon summer sky. Free and open to the public, the Quick Draw will feature 32 of the event artists completing a painting, start-to-finish, in two hours. Quick Draw works will be for sale at the event, at full, fixed retail prices. At artists’ discretion, works may be included in the exhibition and sale taking place at CTDVC July 13th – 15th.
All “Plein Air for the Park” events and demonstrations are free and open to the public.
The RMPAP exhibition will be displayed in the CTDVC’s extensive gallery space, home to the Park’s permanent art collection. On Friday, July 13th, a Gala Opening Reception and Sale takes place at CTDVC, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, with presentations of artist awards at 7:45 pm. Three new works from each participant, created during the event’s two weeks, will be displayed. Several awards will be given, with two of the award-winning paintings becoming part of GTNP’s permanent collection. 40% of the proceeds from the sale of works at the show will benefit Grand Teton National park through GTA, the Park’s supporter and provider of Park-related educational, interpretive and scientific materials and programs. Stephanie Brennan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees & Officers at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, is this year’s judge. Participating Jackson artists include Jennifer Hoffman, Erin O’Connor, Kathryn Mapes Turner and Lee Riddell. RMPAP’s exhibition concludes Sunday, July 15th, at 4:00 pm.
“Artists in the Environment” (AIE) co-founder and nationally recognized plein air painter Gregory I. McHuron will give a three-hour plein air painting demonstration at Blacktail Pond, in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), Wyoming on Saturday, June 9, 2012, 4:00-7:00 pm. This month’s AIE event kicks off a summer of plein air painting demonstrations in GTNP. Artists will paint on site the second Saturday of each month, June – September, 2012. All events are free and open to the public.
A leader of Jackson Hole’s plein air painting tradition, Greg McHuron primarily paints wildlife and landscapes throughout the United States and Canada. Classically trained, McHuron is a master draftsman and favors capturing the natural world using oil paints and watercolor/gouache.
A co-founder of the Grand Teton Association’s “Artists in the Environment,” (he shares the achievement with renowned plein air painter Conrad Schwie
ring) McHuron began sketching at an early age. His interest in wilderness and wildlife propelled him to graduate from Oregon State University with a degree in Art, and a curriculum emphasis in Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife studies.
“Painting oils and watercolor/gouache en plein air for the past 35 years, I am inspired by and able to distill my passion for nature in a direct and personal manner by painting my emotional response to the ‘WOW’ that I see as I watch scenes unfold,” says the artist. “People have said that they are immediately struck by my strong sense of design–then, the interesting color combinations, juxtapositions, and light and dark patterns. The common thread in all my work is that I was THERE – that I have experienced what I turn my brush to.”
McHuron has taught workshops, given demonstrations and participated in quick-draws for a variety of organizations including the Wyoming Artists Association, Wind River Artist Association, Scottsdale School of the Arts and the Lodge at Palisades. The National Museum of Wildlife Art, CM Russell Show, Grand Teton National Park, Isle Royale National Park and Gates of the Artic National Park all include McHuron’s work in their permanent collections.
McHuron paints the West from Alaska–venturing above the Arctic Circle–to the Southwest, doing whatever it takes to “get the painting.” Ever the explorer, McHuron is fearless in his quest to create. Standing in rivers, on the edge of cliffs, in a bobbing raft down the Grand Canyon or on a ship along the coast up to Alaska, riding horseback into wilderness areas, or accidentally finding myself in the middle of a buffalo stampede—it’s all part of Gregory I. McHuron’s mission to paint the “WOW.”
At this writing, McHuron is facing a possible conflict on June 9th. In the event he is unable to appear, his great friend and long-time painting colleague Bill Sawczuck will be on hand to paint in McHuron’s place. We celebrate Greg McHuron with this special “Artists in the Environment” painting demonstration, and look forward to seeing you there!
About the Series: “Artists in the Environment” is funded by the Grand Teton Association, an organization whose purpose is to promote appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Area. Free to all, viewers are invited to bring a chair, a snack, and those who would like to are welcome to paint alongside the artist. Look for the big, bright “Artist’s Demonstration” banner! http://www.grandtetonpark.org/ Phone: 307.739.3403
For more information, contact me, Tammy Christel, via email: tammy@jacksonholearttours.com. I will be on hand for each of this summer’s events, and look forward to seeing you there!
