Show Preview | Grand Canyon Celebration

Grand Canyon, AZ
Grand Canyon National Park, September 9-January 15

Dawn Sutherland, Journey Through the Realms of Splendor, oil, 22 x 28.

This story was featured in the September 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

Who better to kick off the ninth annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art than 25 artists who are well-versed in portraying the canyon’s colors, light, and scale? The talented ensemble, which includes plein-air painters Mitch Baird, Michelle Condrat, Bill Cramer, Ron Larson, and Rachel Pettit, gathers at Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday, September 9, for a weeklong paint-out along the South Rim. Organized by the Grand Canyon Association, the event features artists’ demonstrations, a grand-opening reception, and a four-month-long exhibition and sale, all open to the public with park admission.

: Cody DeLong, Color Convergence, oil, 36 x 24.

: Linda Glover Gooch, The Edge of Time, oil, 22 x 24.

: Robert Goldman, Sunset Interlude, oil, 24 x 24.

River guide and sculptor Clyde Ross Morgan joins the group this year and participates alongside the painters in a Quick Draw and auction beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 16, at Bright Angel Trailhead. That evening, an invitation-only Collectors’ Reception offers guests a sneak peek at exhibition works. The show opens on Sunday with an artists’ reception at 11 a.m. in the historic Kolb Studio, where as many as 450 artworks are available to view and purchase, including both fresh plein-air pieces and studio paintings. “I like to think that our event is helping to promote and preserve the integrity and beauty of the park,” says show coordinator Kathy Duley. “It allows people to take a piece of the canyon home with them.”

This year the Grand Canyon Association pays tribute to contemporary and historic women artists who have painted in the park, and art historian Betsy Fahlman gives a presentation on the topic at the Shrine of the Ages on Friday, September 15, at 7:30 p.m. “It’s a subject that’s near and dear to my heart,” says artist Linda Glover Gooch, “so it’s icing on the cake that it’s happening.”

: John D. Cogan, Wind, Rain, and River, acrylic, 54 x 22.

: Elizabeth Black, Chuckwalla’s Domain, oil, 48 x 24.

: Marcia Molnar, Light and Shadow, oil, 50 x 20.

Gooch is no stranger to the park; it’s one of her favorite painting destinations. “The Grand Canyon is like my home,” says the Arizona artist, who brings a studio painting titled THE EDGE OF TIME. The scene captures a moment when she observed a group of park visitors looking out at Maricopa Point from Powell Point, says Gooch. “I’m starting to put people in my scenes, figures who are taking on the canyon, to add a humanistic feel to them.”

As in years past, artwork sales help support the establishment of an art venue on the South Rim. “The museum will represent a slice of how artists have interacted with the canyon,” says New Mexico artist John D. Cogan, who has participated in the event every year since
it began. “I like to paint where people can see me because I want to show them I’m excited about it and call attention to the show’s mission.”

In his studio painting WIND, RAIN, AND RIVER, Cogan depicts three limestone pillars at Mather Point “the way they used to be,” he says. “When I was younger, those pillars had a rock balanced on each one. One rock has since fallen. It’s a true example of what erosion does. All the beautiful sculptural formations and temples out there will someday be gone.” —Kim Agricola

contact information
480.277.0458
www.grandcanyon.org