Show Preview | Grand Canyon Celebration of Art

Grand Canyon, AZ
Grand Canyon National Park, September 13-January 20

Linda Glover Gooch, Cliff Dweller, oil, 24 x 20.

This story was featured in the September 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2014 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

The majesty of Grand Canyon National Park provides the breathtaking backdrop for the sixth annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art taking place this month. Amid the red-rock canyon and meandering Colorado River, 26 artists fan out to capture the world-renowned natural wonder. From September 13 to 19, park visitors can watch the plein-air painters capture the shifting patterns of light and shadow, the magnificent geological formations, and the vibrant colors of the terrain. Among the participating artists are Amery Bohling, Michael  Obermeyer, Dave Santillanes, Elizabeth Black, and Jim Woodark.

On Saturday, September 20, a Quick Draw and auction takes place at El Tovar Lodge on the South Rim from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The following day the opening reception and sale unfolds from 12 to 2 p.m. at Kolb Studio, also on the South Rim.

“The Grand Canyon Celebration of Art is a wonderful collaboration of natural beauty, artistic skill, art appreciation, and philanthropy in one of America’s most spectacular landscapes,” says  Susan Schroeder, executive director of the Grand Canyon Association.

Colorado painter Joshua Been is a regular participant and an enthusiastic fan of the event. For Been, the Grand Canyon is a continual source of amazement; because the landscape keeps challenging everything he knows about plein-air painting, he keeps coming back to the show year after year. “She’s never the same canyon twice,” Been says.

James McGrew agrees, adding that a week in the Grand Canyon offers not only incredible subject matter but also a chance to paint with great artists and meet enthusiastic collectors, from park employees to tourists from across the country and beyond. Both artists also concur that in addition to all of the other reasons they love the show, they feel good about participating because proceeds from sales go toward establishing a permanent home to showcase paintings portraying the Grand Canyon.

In conjunction with the show, authors Susan McGarry and Terry Lawson Dunn are signing the book Art of the National Parks at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 19, at the Shrine of the Ages. —Bonnie Gangelhoff

contact information
480.277.0458
www.grandcanyon.org

Featured in the September 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art September 2014 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!