Sketching and Painting the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Artist Roland Lee making a sketch in his field book on a research trip of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Photo by Dr. Robert L. Eves

What a week! Nellie and I enjoyed four days traveling the backroads of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument taking in the sites, studying the geology of the region, and making sketchbook studies and plein air paintings. Now that's what I call a fun week all in the name of work. We were joined by Nellie's sister Tricia and husband Dr. Robert Eves, and his colleague Dr. Larry Davis--both geology professors. Our goal was to retrace the steps they took in producing a road guide to the Grand Staircase geology about 12 years ago, and update it with illustrations and original artwork. That's where I came in. They provided the geologic information and I provided the artwork. We hope to have laid the foundation for not only an update of their previous road guide, but possibly a new guidebook aimed at simplifying the geology of the Grand Staircase for artists and photographers.

Roland Lee, Professor Robert Eves and Professor Larry Davis at LeFevre Overlook on Highway 89A. From here you can see all the geologic layers of Utah's Grand Staircase which extend northward for 150 miles from Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon.

From LeFevre Overlook we survey the landscape we will cover over the next few days.

Dr. Robert L. Eves and Dr. Larry Davis discuss the development of the sandstone narrows of Willis Creek on the Skutumpah Terrace section of the Grand Staircase in Utah. Photo by Roland Lee

Painting the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

We will be traveling the incredible scenic backroads of Utah for the next three days as I explore and paint the geologic wonders of the Grand Staircase. I will be traveling with two noted geology professors, Robert L. Eves from Southern Utah University and Larry Davis from the College of St. Benedict, St. Johns University as they work on a research project. My job is to tag along, try to learn something, and paint what I see. I kind of envision myself in the role of artist Frederick Dellenbaugh accompanying John Wesley Powell on his early explorations, but I think I might be over-glamorizing things a bit, since we will spend our nights in motels. Anyway, I am excited to get to go exploring in the land that I dearly love with like-minded individuals. Hopefully I can post some of my sketches soon. We will start near Kanab in Johnson Canyon, head north to Bryce Canyon area, and end at Escalante, covering over 275 million years of geologic history in a few days. Amazing!

This awesome illustration by Dick Beasley shows the grand staircase from the Grand Canyon to Bryce. 275 million years of geologic history are laid bare for the visitor to see.

Hitting the Road in my Rolling Studio

Primitive camping at Sand Hollow Reservoir with my 1992 Six Pac Super Mini Camper and classic 1988 Toyota 4 x 4 pickup

Some people may call it vacationing, but for an artist any trip into the country is a chance to sketch and gather painting reference material. That's just what I did last week and this week with research trips to Snow Canyon and Sand Hollow Reservoir. My little Six Pac Super mini camper makes it easy to be on location for those great morning sunrise and evening sunset images. I have the camper outfitted with my plein air painting supplies, and everything I need to stay on location a couple of days at a time. My classic 1988 four wheel drive Toyota pickup is the perfect offroad rig as well, with its high clearance, off-road tires, and small footprint.

Six Pac Super Mini Camper on a 1988 Toyota pickup. Just the right size for off-roading.

My painting rig on the Beach at Sand Hollow Reservoir near St. George UT

Watercolor Workshop for the Dixie Watercolor Society

Michelle Manriquez opened her beautiful home and studio for a special fund-raising workshop for the Dixie Watercolor Society. Roland Lee agreed to teach the workshop and donate all fees back to the organization to sponsor their upcoming projects. I chose a potpourri of subjects and techniques for this "best of" workshop presentation. Fortunately all the participants were seasoned artists and brought lots of ideas and strengths to the table, making it a fun experience for all of us. This will be my last workshop until winter 2014-15.

Plein Air Painting Workshop Day Two - Zion National Park

The Court of the Patriarchs in Zion National Park provided ideal subject matter for a day of painting outdoors. Artist Alice Robinson enjoyed painting from her perch on a fallen log. 

Our second day of the plein air workshop featured some serious outdoor painting in one of nature's most spectacular locations - Zion National Park.
     We carpooled from St. George, arriving at Zion Park by 9:30am. The day was perfect with a light cool breeze and big fluffy clouds drifting across the landscape. We boarded the wonderful shuttle and started up Zion Canyon, getting off at the Court of the Patriarchs. A short walk took us to one of my favorite spots along the Virgin River, where a series of wide waterfalls interrupt the slow, steady flow of the meandering river. Above us, stood the massive peaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, named for the Bible prophets. The roar of the falls created perfect background music while we painted. I first did a demonstration painting of "Mount Moroni" with its sharp jagged peaks and pointed out how value, temperature, and detail are affected by the direction of the sun on the surfaces.
     By noon we had enough work completed for a friendly critique and art show as we lined our paintings up along side a fallen tree trunk. It was exciting to see the different interpretations. We boarded the shuttle back to our cars and drove in to Springdale for lunch. The afternoon was spent visiting the LaFave Gallery and painting from their park-like grounds. Our subject matter there ranged from large rocks and cactus clusters, to the big cliffs above, to an old panel truck which sits rusting on the premises. By the time our second day ended, we had a healthy body of work under our belts and a greater understanding of the challenges and rewards of plein air painting!

Dixie Stoddard and Margo Cook paint along the Virgin River

Mark Rose is a veteran outdoor painter who came all the way from Idaho to take the Roland Lee workshop

Connie Madsen hurries to bring her masterpiece to our outdoor critique as we lined paintings up along a fallen tree trunk

Painting from the park-like grounds of the LaFave Gallery in Springdale Utah at the mouth of Zion National Park

Plein Air Painting Workshop Day One - Red Cliffs of Kayenta Near Ivins

Outdoor painting workshop posing at the Ivins Reservoir. Back Row: Alice Robinson, Marsha Owen, Kelly McKelvey, Paulette Triplett, Mary Brown, Mark Rose. Front Row: Connie Madsen, Cindy McGregor, Dixie Stoddard, Sally Valiton, Margo Cook.

We were all tired by the end of two days, but we packed in a lot of plein air painting at the Roland Lee Plein Air watercolor workshop last week.
     After a short orientation session and Powerpoint presentation at Passion for Painting Studio, we carpooled out to the Kayenta area near Ivins, Utah to start our outdoor painting efforts. I began with a quick watercolor demonstration using the brilliant red cliffs and amazing views as my subject. My goal was to give the artists a few tips on capturing the fleeting and constantly changing shadows on the cliffs. They were eager to learn, and picked it up quickly, moving on to their own paintings.
     We took a noon break with lunch at Kayenta's Xetava Restaurant, viewed the artwork at the Datura Gallery then went to work again in the beautiful desert gardens adjacent to the art village. Some chose cactus flowers and others keyed in on the native flowers as we once again worked on capturing light and shadow. We finished the day with a visit to the spectacular Ivins Reservoir where we gathered for a group shot.

The Red Cliffs of Kayenta were spectacular against the vivid blue sky and billowing clouds

Cindy McGregor hard at work

Mark Rose, Margo Cook, and Dixie Stoddard each chose different vantage points

Marsha Owen traveled from Arizona to participate in the Roland Lee plein air workshop

Sally Valiton is a seasoned artist from Ridgecrest California

Alice Robinson works among the Desert Marigolds

Mark Rose happily works on his painting in the Kayenta Art Village desert garden

Cindy McGregor is ready to go

Paulette Triplett has a comfortable set-up

Roland Lee painted a cluster of yellow desert flowers

Dixie Stoddard looks relaxed as she works on a painting of cactus flowers

Dixie Stoddard's brilliant little study in watercolor

Connie Madsen found a shady spot in the Xetava Gardens at Kayenta Art Village

Mary Brown painting in the garden at Kayenta Art Village

Kelly McKelvey looking content and happy as she paints in Kayenta Art Village's garden