Crested Butte Mountain Arts Summit
In which I talk the upcoming Mountain Arts Summit at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts and share 4 new pieces of art
This Thursday, we are headed to Crested Butte for the Mountain Arts Summit (June 15-18th) at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts. I’ll be teaching there all weekend with a slew of other insanely talented artists, all of whom have a deep connection to environmental work and many of whom are also scientists or engineers (me!). I haven’t been to Crested Butte since I was a kid on a winter ski trip with my summer camp, so I’m looking forward to seeing the town. Honestly, it was so long ago, I don’t even remember what the town looks like, and I’m very excited to be there and take a couple art classes myself.
I had no idea that when I started painting that instructing would be part of my world. It’s been a surprising realization that not only do I enjoy it, but I think I’m kinda good at it. I first started teaching watercolor on my porch at the cabin in 2015 and taking people on hikes to paint in plein air. Over the years, I’ve taught with a variety of organizations and places, most notably as an instructor in Yosemite National Park (I’ll be back teaching there again in the summer of 2024!).
Painting outside in the elements is a vastly different experience than in the calmness of the indoors or a studio. It’s as much about making yourself comfortable in the elements as it is about being able to not give a damn how the painting turns out. Painting in plein air is not at all about the finished result, but really about the experience of being outside communing with nature and trying to capture it. Like trying to catch a wave upon the sand, or catch a cloud and pin it down.
To be clear, the results are not what matters.
Painting in plein air is like teaching a puppy how to roll over. You might get them to do it, but it’s probably by accident more than they’re actually doing what you want them to do. Puppies are just excited to be there and happy for the praise, attention, and most of all the snacks. Let’s be honest, snacks are a very important part of plein air painting too.
For me the point of painting outside, is just to spend good quality time in nature. If I get a good painting out of it, even better, but if I don’t, I still have a good memory and a record of what I saw. Maybe it will inform a painting in the studio, maybe it won't. A good plein air session starts off with having the time and mental bandwidth to slow down and sit and be in nature. It helps to have your supply kit dialed (my favorite recommendations here) and by dialed, I mostly mean keep it compact and portable, bring colors you like, and develop a system that works for you.
This weekend, I’ll be teaching about my system, the supplies that work for me, and how I go about painting outside. What I like most about teaching plein air classes is that when people come in they are nervous, as though I’m asking them to perform open heart surgery, but by the time they leave, I can see a new level of confidence they didn’t have before. To an outsider, maybe it is like open heart surgery, the magic of creating art from simple supplies kneeling at the foot of nature. Truthfully, it’s more about opening your own heart and allowing it out.
Check out the full schedule here, in case you happen to to free next week. The Summit includes lectures, demonstrations, classes, a raffle, talks and a gallery show of all the teachers.
Also on display for the Summit is a gallery art show featuring the amazing work of Noelle Phares, Jill Richie, Klara Maisch, Sarah Uhl and myself. There are two evening receptions while we are all there, on June 15th from 5-8pm and June 17th from 5-8pm. We all have works available for sale.
The Mountain Art Summit is a four-day celebration in beautiful Crested Butte, Colorado. This multi-day event features the art and teaching of several artists whose portfolios focus on Environmental Advocacy. Renowned painter and environmental scientist Noelle Phares and other celebrated visual artists, photographers and filmmakers lead you to examine the junction of art, nature, and agency. Art and photography workshops, gallery receptions, live demonstrations, panel discussions, and film screenings, invite you to hone your skills, and examine your place in our natural landscapes. Leave inspired to create your own art that speaks to climate action and with gear to fuel your next expedition.
As part of the show, I have four brand new encaustic works available. Each measures 30x30 inch and is for sale for $4,400. If you are interested in purchasing any of my paintings (or the other artists), you can purchase directly on the gallery website.
If you’re coming to the Mountain Art Summit, sound off in the comments on this post! Introduce yourself and maybe make a friend or two before you get there. Otherwise, I’ll report back next week about how it all went.
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I love the puppy analogy 😜
So glad to see you are teaching, Bridgette!