Arizona Pastel Artists Association hosted a rare Northern Arizona paint out today at Tlaquepaque (thanks to Nita for getting us permission to paint on the property). Gina M. drove up from Phoenix to paint in the venue all decked out for Dia de los Muertos, with fabulous pumpkin arrangements in all of the fountains, the…

Today exemplified why I live in Sedona—Autumn.  A great white harvest moon set behind the western mesa as I drove into Red Rock Ranger Station—the morning was cool enough for a sweater, but warm enough to think about shedding it. At the Woods Canyon trailhead, David, Sophie, Pete, Karen, Dona and I set up our…

Congratulations to Mike for his top award in the Sedona Plein Air Festival’s community paintout. The day was perfect for painting on the SAC property, with Snoopy Rock peeking down at the festivitiies, and the Fin’s dramatic sandstone ridges looming over all. Most of us set up in the parking lot for the two-hour time…

When I arrived at Jim Thompson trailhead, the clouds were starting to close in, sunlight fleeing across the palm of The Mitten. Pete headed up the trail to Cibola Pass in search of the perfect view. Below the parking lot, the dry wash had turned into a stream, wide enough to require rock hopping to…

Leila put together a 3-day plein air painting trip to Canyon de Chelly with members of Arizona Pastel Artists Association and Arizona Plein Air Painters. Tuesday afternoon we painted iconic Spider Rock, watching the shadows crawl up the spire, until, as we were packing up, the canyon filled with purple and the top of the…

In the heavy monsoon downpour, under the Lady Banks rosebush, a young velvet buck stood with a stolid, put-upon expression that didn’t change when the cat and I opened the screen door. His name is Snippy, and I’ve known him ever since he was a fawn, trimming the hedges on my front patio. When the…

Tubac Center for the Arts hosted a reception for the “I Hear Music” exhibition. Artists portrayed their love of music with paintings, interactive sculptures and textiles. One 3-D artist created a multi-armed rainstick wall sculpture, while another created a playable ensemblage of feathers, soundbox and strings.  Each artwork had a Q-Code that could be scanned…

Our second day of painting at the Sedona Heritage Museum was bright and sunny, with sharp shadows—so unlike our overcast Day 1.  Mike and I painted the little Victorian train station. He sensibly set up in the shade, unlike me, who soon became horribly hot, sweaty, and grumpy. Our two Fauvists, Karen and Liz, created…

Above: Gail gets a pat on the back from a passing cowboy. The early morning sun hid behind fog and ragged rainclouds that promised to soak my pastels, but only thirteen drops of rain fell, and we chased the fleeting shapes of light and shadow across the red rock.  Karen and Gail disputed the names…