Painting in the Utah Sun

Ephraim, Utah's Snow College is the location of Carl Purcell's Summer Snow, a two week workshop for aspiring watercolorists.   Fairbanks watercolor friends Sherry, Dawn, and Phyllis, along with New Yorker friend, Jan, met up with me to attend the 2011 workshop and further our artistic development with Carl's guidance.  Here are more highlights from the workshop.

Friday's outdoor painting session takes place in Carl's hometown neighborhood in Manti.  We find the area full of fascinating sheds, fences, old tools and equipment, and lovely brick farm outbuildings.  The temperature is great in the shade, but rather blistering in the sun, which I realize a little too late.

Reference photos are always helpful for finishing a painting back in the studio.

A wonderful assortment of outbuildings provides plenty of inspiration for our paintings.

George looks somewhat like a prop for a western movie, don't you think?

What, Carl's new easel is already broken?  Easel come, easel go.

Carl entices the chickens out of their coop with some fresh grass so he can sketch them.

This young horse looks a little bored as he watches us paint.

 Carl and I have a good view of an old shed from between the horse and the chickens.  Doesn't smell all the good, but we enjoy the critters and the view nevertheless.

My painting develops almost as fast as my sunburn.  After several hours in this sun my neck looks redder than my burnt sienna pigment.

 I get a decent start on my painting of the shed, which I finish up later on in the session.

On the way home, I snap a photo of this poor woman perpetually stuck in her John.  Though it is cute and a good reminder to eat more fiber, it has absolutely nothing to do with today's painting session. . .  I just like her.