Blog

The morning was clear and cold.  Winds whipped with gusts up to 20 mph.  Not a fun day to paint outdoors, so I checked in with the staff at the Geology Museum to see if I might set up indoors.  The Museum has huge windows revealing an expansive view of the Canyon.  

I decided my first painting would be of Skeleton Point.  The shadows would remain pretty constant and give me time to get a "warm-up" painting in.  It was a different experience painting behind windows!

I had plenty of time to start a second painting.  I decided to take a narrow view of just a portion of Skeleton Point.  By now the building was full of visitors.  I don't mind people watching and I really enjoy interacting with them.  There were many families with young children visiting on this day.  

When I realize that a child is watching intently I will turn to them and ask, "are you a painter, too?"  They almost always nod and say they like to paint.  Even if they tell me they can't paint, I invite them to help me with some portion of my canvas.  Here, Luna helps paint a little bit of Pipe Creek.  She even gave me a bit of advice on painting some of the vegetation!

After a midday break, I set up once again, this time with a small canvas.  I had immediate interest from young children, so I let this little girl help paint Plateau Point.

Elena worked on the shadows.

Just look at that intense focus!

A little later, I thought I'd have time to start a fourth one.  Gil and her family were watching, so I put my vest on Gil and gave her a brush.

A look back at her mom for approval.

I didn't catch this young lady's name, but she had fun.

By late afternoon I had a line-up of kids wanting to give it a try.  The painting didn't resemble much of the original intent, but that didn't matter.  

Unai was visiting with his mother and aunt from the Basque region of Spain.  He finished up the painting with incredible focus.  As I was cleaning up my equipment and starting to pack it away, he returned with a small notepad and proudly showed me some of the drawings he'd done.  They were good.  We had a discussion about how light moves across the formations in the Canyon.  

One just never knows when a brief experience such as "helping" a painter with their canvas, might be a life-changing experience for a young child.  Think about an experience you might have had in your youth that sent your focus to what you are doing and enjoying today as an adult.   I would love to know your thoughts and experiences!