Grand Canyon, AZ
Grand Canyon National Park, September 7-15
Michelle Condrat, The Grand Symphony, oil, 24 x 40.
This story was featured in the September 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
SINCE ITS INCEPTION 11 years ago,the annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art has become a well-loved tradition at the eponymous national park. The weeklong paint-out honors the role artists have played in recording the park’s grandeur throughout its history, and for park visitors, it’s also a time to witness a little history in the making as some of the country’s top plein-air painters capture the complex canyon as it looks today. This year’s celebration gets underway on Saturday, September 7, when 23 artists set up their easels at various spots along the South Rim.
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- Robert Goldman, View to the East—Grand Canyon, oil, 24 x 24.
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- Marcia Molnar, Light Rain Over the Unkar Delta, oil, 58 x 32.
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- Paula Swain, Doris Camp, oil, 40 x 30.
Throughout the week, park visitors have ample opportunities to watch veteran participants like Joshua Been, John Cogan, and Cody DeLong in action. There are also a few fresh faces among the group this year, including Kadin Goldberg and Kirk Larsen, but even the new participants are no rookies when it comes to painting in the park. “One of the requirements we have for the artists is that they have experience painting at the canyon,” says show coordinator Kathy Duley. “If you’re not familiar with painting there, it can be totally overwhelming. The light changes so fast, and the canyon is so huge.”
Most of the artists stick to the South Rim, adds Duley, but some participants also venture down into the canyon and to the North Rim to capture the views there. Multiple artists’ demonstrations take place on the South Rim from Sunday, September 8, through Thursday, September 12. Then, on Saturday at 8 a.m., all of the artists gather for a lively two-hour Quick Draw at Bright Angel Trailhead. The finished pieces go up for sale in a live auction immediately after the competition.
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- Joshua Been, Breakfast in the Basement, oil, 30 x 60.
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- Elizabeth Black, Inner Gorge, Mile 84, oil, 40 x 32.
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- John D. Cogan, Colors of the Morning Rain, acrylic, 24 x 36.
Works created during the paint-out are on view and for sale beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 15, at the historic Kolb Studio, where visitors can take in a kaleidoscope of artistic perspectives on the canyon. Each participating artist also brings a few studio pieces, and guest artists Erin Hanson, Ed Mell, Dan Namingha, and Rick Wheeler contribute studio creations, too, but the plein-air works receive a special commemorative stamp on the back. “That way, you know if you’re getting a piece that was created during the event,” Duley says of these fresh creations, which—after all—represent the latest editions in the collective visual history of one of America’s most iconic parks. —Kim Agricola
contact information
480.277.0458
www.grandcanyon.org/coa
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- Robert Green, Unveiling, oil, 18 x 36.
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- James McGrew, Dancing Birdsong, oil, 30 x 24.
This story was featured in the September 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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