Grand Canyon Celebration of Art 2020 Catalog by Grand Canyon Conservancy

GRAND CANYON CELEBRATION OF ART

2020

CO N S E R VA N C Y

c o ve r a r t Grand Canyon | 1919, oil on canvas,

30 x 34.5 inches, by Lone Wolf (Hart Merriam Schultz). Collection of the Tucson Museum of Art. Gift of the J. C. Kinney Family.

Hart Merriam Schultz (1883–1970) was best known to the art world by his Blackfeet name, Nitohmahkwii, meaning “Lone Wolf.” He was one of the first American Indian painters and sculptors to receive national public acclaim. Lone Wolf was a bridge between the culture of his mother’s Blackfeet people and the Euro-American culture of his father. The scope of what he experienced, and the transformations that occurred during his lifetime, spanned the passing of the wild buffalo herds to the first man on the moon. Seasonal migrations from Arizona to his birthplace in Montana attest to the importance Lone Wolf placed on maintaining tribal identity and connections to the land. He began seriously producing art in 1909 while working in Arizona at the Grand Canyon as a wrangler, trail guide, and artist. While there he met artist Thomas Moran who, according to Lone Wolf, “…took a liking to me for he was a very kind and helpful man and had deep interest in anyone who was Indian. When he found out that I was a Blackfeet from the North, he became very much interested in what I was trying to do. I am sure that Grandfather Yellow Wolf would have been surprised that such a man as Thomas Moran would befriend his grandson and encourage him to make his way in art in the White Man’s world.” This painting of the Grand Canyon, that is now in the collection of the Tucson Museum of Art, hung in the office of Jack Kinney for many years in the Santa Rita Hotel, Tucson. Kinney owned La Osa Ranch near Tucson and was Lone Wolf ’s most significant art patron. In 1925, an art critic exclaimed about this painting, “The Indian artist has achieved enviable art heights with his portrayal of Arizona’s Canyon. Though the painting is comparatively an old one, it has never been displayed in the big galleries and one wishes that it might be immediately, feeling that for once nature’s greatest masterpiece has been worthily reproduced.” Dr. Tricia Loscher | Assistant Director–Collections, Exhibitions, and Research, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

Post Office Box 399, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 (800) 858-2808 grandcanyon.org copyright © 2020 by Grand Canyon Conservancy All Rights Reserved. Published 2020. All artworks are the property of their respective artists and are protected by copyright law. No portion of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part, by any means (with the exception of short quotes for the purpose of review), without permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Edited by Mindy Riesenberg Designed by David Jenney ISBN 978-1-934656-06-8

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 6 8

foreword introduction grand canyon conservancy

32 SUSIE HYER 34 PEGGY IMMEL

10 JOSHUA BEEN

36 BONNIE M C GEE

12 ELIZABETH BLACK

38 MICK M C GINTY

14 AMERY BOHLING

40 JAMES M C GREW

16 JOHN D. COGAN

42 BETSY MENAND

18 MICHELLE CONDRAT

44 MARCIA MOLNAR

20 BILL CRAMER

46 JOSÉ LUIS NUNEZ

22 CODY D E LONG

48 KARI GANOUNG RUIZ

24 KADIN GOLDBERG

50 MATT STERBENZ

26 ROBERT GOLDMAN

52 DAWN SUTHERLAND

28 BRUCE GÓMEZ

54 PAULA SWAIN

30 LINDA GLOVER GOOCH

SERENA SUPPLEE

FOREWORD |

How do you see the Grand Canyon?

how do you imagine what you see? And when you do see, what do you imagine? How can beauty be realized without your own imagination? Today, and for eons, the Grand Canyon was imagined, and even when you see only parts of it, your imagination is refreshed and stimulated and taken on a journey in your own time, with the perceptions and the interpretations you and you alone bring to it. The role and power of art and artists not only defined how the Grand Canyon was imagined and the national park created, but new art and artists of today continue this vibrant legacy. The remarkable artists in this year’s exhibition now give us many new sources for the imagination of this magnificent landscape. Too often, conversations about art are circular and those about art appreciation can be gruff. But this exhibition gives us a moment to reflect and understand how we use pictures—as images, color, composition, structure, and perspective—as a means to gain a greater recognition of what we see. With our imagination, then, we can store these memories, reflect on what thoughts and beliefs are crystalized within these works and—most profoundly—understand and then tell our own stories. Even if it is broken into square miles, elevation changes, colors, and history, the reality and the scale of the Grand Canyon is still beyond the mind’s full comprehension. Yet the very vastness of its presence can be captured in a picture—by colors, by textures, and hues—without our ability to fully know its entirety. Art allows us to imagine the full measure of the canyon—its varied life, its human value, its multiplicities of beauty. Then, our imagination is set loose to interpret what our eyes are seeing. This year’s exhibition demonstrates and celebrates how we all see a picture, how we take in an image—its structure, its meaning, its story—that is to say, its art. You

may find that you can’t and you don’t want to stop your own mind working out the way you understand and appreciate not just the physical paintings you see in front of you but all that is evoked by your imagination. The works become your image, your catalogue, your way of connecting the dots. Once you see a picture that touches you, it is captured and forever belongs to your imagination. We live in a visual world, as did our ancestors. And it is through the use of our minds that we interpret these visual moments, make them meaningful, and establish a collective value and understanding of something difficult to fathom on our own. The artists in this exhibition give us the means to use our imagination—to bring vitality and richness to our experience and joy to our spirit. And all we have to do is stop, see, and allow our imagination to do the rest for the Grand Canyon to become a part of who we are.

Curt Walters, National Treasure, oil on canvas, 30 x 60 inches. Acquired in 1994. Gift from the artist and the Grand Canyon Trust.

John L. Gray | Director Emeritus, Smithsonian National Museum of American History

INTRODUCTION art can enlighten us. It can challenge our imagination and open our minds. It can bring back memories of places we’ve been and things we’ve seen, and it can help us envision the journeys ahead. Art can comfort, and it can soothe. This year, art is more important than ever. The work created for the 12th Annual Celebration of Art can transport us to Grand Canyon National Park and the splendors that lie within. While this year’s event is presented in a mostly-digital format, the images and views of the canyon showcased through these works are as stunning as ever. This catalog features studio-produced paintings of magnificent Grand Canyon scenes that were submitted by each of the 23 participating artists. These paintings, along with the plein air work created during the 2020 Celebration of Art, will be offered for sale online September 21, 2020 through January 18, 2021. Proceeds from the sale contribute to a future, dedicated art venue at the South Rim. The board of directors and staff of Grand Canyon Conservancy wish to express our sincere appreciation to the National Park Service, our sponsors, volunteers, and art patrons. And of course, we thank the talented and dedicated artists who make this event possible. We hope the artworks from the grandest place on earth inspire you to preserve and protect this iconic landscape and be forever mindful of the beauty all around us. Theresa McMullan

| CEO, Grand Canyon Conservancy

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEB WEINKAUFF

LEAR MILLER

GRAND CANYON CONSERVANCY grand canyon conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, raising private funds, operating retail shops within the park, and providing premier guided educational programs about the natural and cultural history of the region. Our supporters fund projects including trails and historic building preservation, educational programs for the public, and the protection of wildlife and their natural habitat. Grand Canyon Conservancy inspires people to protect and enhance Grand Canyon National Park for present and future generations. For more information, visit grandcanyon.org.

You can help by becoming a supporter today! Join at grandcanyon.org, at any Grand Canyon Conservancy park store, or by calling (800) 858-2808. If you are already a supporter, we thank you!

9 LEAR MILLER

LEAR MILLER

NPS PHOTO

GCC PHOTO

VERONICA TIERNEY

JOSHUA BEEN |

Salida, Colorado

Joshua Been has been drawing since he could manage a pencil. Originally captivated by animation and cartooning, Joshua was also active in theater, performing arts, and earth sciences, an interdisciplinary foundation that is evident in his work. He worked for several years as a character animator and visual development artist for Cartoon Network, Disney, and other studios. Joshua has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, where he graduated magna cum laude. He was the People’s Choice and Artist’s Choice Award winner at the 10th annual Celebration of Art.

The Lair of the Layer

| Oil on linen, 36 x 36 inches

i’ve now painted over 1,000 paintings of the Grand Canyon. I’ve painted the inner canyon, Rim to Rim along the Bright Angel, from Point Sublime to Cape Royal on the North Rim, on the Colorado River during a 10-day float trip, at secret areas only Bob Dalegowski knew of, and from nearly every vantage on the South Rim. Cool thing is, I’ve barely scratched the surface. That’s what wild places do, they captivate and inspire. They let us know how small we are, yet how special and divine we are. The person by himself, most left looking up, taking it all in, is awakening to this.

ELIZABETH BLACK |

Boulder, Colorado

Elizabeth Black worked as a river guide in the Grand Canyon for many years. She first painted watercolors on a raft trip in the canyon in 1975. She and her husband, landscape photographer Christopher Brown, explore the west together, carrying their art-making equipment to the most scenic spots they can find. Elizabeth has won numerous awards, including Best of Show at Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, and her work may be found in many private and public collections. She is represented by Mary Williams Fine Arts in Boulder, Colorado, and the Sugarman-Peterson Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Blaze of Glory: Conquistadores Aisle, Mile 120

| Oil on board, 27 x 40 inches

the first fingers of sunrise slide into the canyon, caressing its walls with rosy hues. Canyon wrens pierce dreams with cascading trills. A soft downstream breeze cools skin and wakes memories of sage and hot sand. Smells of coffee and tamarisk, and always the song of the river, chuckling, rustling, murmuring. It doesn’t last long, this sunrise blaze of glory. But it will come again and again, as long as the river keeps rising and falling, gliding onward to merge with the sea.

AMERY BOHLING |

Scottsdale, Arizona

Amery Bohling is an Arizona native who has become well known for her western landscapes, particularly the Grand Canyon. Her art has appeared in multiple exhibitions around the country, as well as in Plein Air Magazine, Western Art Collector, American Artist, and Phoenix Home & Garden. Most recently, one of her Grand Canyon paintings was chosen to grace the cover of the February 2019 issue of Arizona Highways, which featured Grand Canyon National Park’s Centennial. Amery has received a number of awards, including the Allied Artists of America 2015 Alden Bryan Memorial Award, the Princeton Brush Award at the 2015 American Impressionist Society Exhibition, and Best in Show at the Scottsdale Beaux Arts 2010 Instructors’ Exhibition.

Love and Life in the Grand Canyon

| Oil on linen board, 30 x 40 inches

the Grand Canyon presents a theatrical display of nature. Vivid colors, frightening depths, and the sound of wildlife awaits the intrepid visitor. Beginning as early as October the male mule deer will begin to call and track his potential doe. They are more aggressive and more active. It is a pivotal time for the lovestruck male to win the right to mate. At the end of their season of love their testosterone recedes and their antlers will shed. Life becomes calmer during the cold winter months, and soon summer will arrive and give way to a new generation of deer.

JOHN D. COGAN |

Farmington, New Mexico

John D. Cogan has participated in the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art since 2009, winning Best of Show in 2015. In 2012, his painting Out of the Depths won the Jack Dudley Memorial Purchase Award and is now in Grand Canyon National Park’s collection. John has spent time on both the North and South Rims as Artist in Residence. He has won numerous awards, and his paintings are part of the permanent collections of Citizens Bank, Conoco Phillips, McGraw Hill, San Juan College, Eastern New Mexico University, Raymond James Financial, Xanterra Corporation, Zion National Park, and the Sultanate of Oman, among others.

Sunlight

| Acrylic, 30 x 40 inches

for the artist, is there ever bad lighting at Grand Canyon? If so, I have never seen it. Yes, I have seen difficult lighting. And dramatic lighting. And sublime lighting. But evening light, looking into the sun from the West Rim Drive, may combine all of these. It can surely be difficult. And it is often dramatic. But it is the sublime light that I prefer, the light that promises something beyond the moment, something beyond the day. And something beyond the ages.

MICHELLE CONDRAT |

Salt Lake City, Utah

Michelle Condrat is a native of Utah and has lived there for almost her entire life. After earning her art and art history degrees from the University of Utah in 2007, she continued with her artistic journey, painting the unique landscape of Utah and the Southwest. When she is not working in the studio, she is spending her time in the outdoors, driving through mountain ranges, fishing lakes and streams, and hiking through canyons, where she gathers inspiration and subject matter for her paintings. Michelle is known for her unique style of intense color choices and linear blended strokes, giving motion and depth to her paintings.

Dreamland

| Oil, 24 x 36 inches

the beauty of Grand Canyon strikes you with such breathtaking amazement that you almost feel as if a place like that can only exist in your dreams. A place that looks like a fantasy world, with highlighted rock formations radiating colors of fire, dark blue shadows that stretch across the canyon as far as the eye can see, and a desert sky illuminating the whole color spectrum. When I look out across Grand Canyon, I have to remind myself that it is real. That I am indeed in the presence of a special and unique place unlike any other in the entire world, and that I am witnessing beauty and creation at its greatest.

BILL CRAMER |

Prescott, Arizona

Bill Cramer is best known for his striking oil paintings of the American West. As a longtime rock climber, he spent much of his youth enjoying the more vertical aspects of the western landscape. After receiving his degree in fine arts from Cal State Long Beach, he moved to Arizona to be closer to the scenery he most enjoyed. He has won numerous awards for his work, most recently the Borrego Springs Plein Air Invitational Artist’s Choice Award (2019) and the Oil Painters of America Annual Salon Show’s Landscape Award of Excellence (2018). “My goals are to keep exploring the Southwest’s wild places, search for new ideas, and express what I find exciting about landscapes and painting,” he says.

Light of a New Day

| Oil, 24 x 40 inches

in the predawn hours, the artist arrives at the South Rim and sets up his easel with anticipation. If nothing else, creating art, like planting a seed, is an act of optimism. Visitors from around the world gather too. Sunrise at the Grand Canyon is a time of great beauty, and for many, a time of renewal. Everyone watches. The morning light warms Yaki Point and the countless walls beyond. The ever-growing sunlight pushes down the blue curtain of shadows, forcing them deeper into the canyon depths. All the intricate canyon topography, the forms and spaces in between, is best revealed during this amazing dance of light and shadow. One of the great surprises of a Grand Canyon sunrise is this display. The artist and the people gathered there gain a deeper understanding of where they are. The day dawns full of appreciation, exhilaration, and hope. This special scene has played out nearly every time I’ve painted a sunrise at Grand Canyon. What the canyon can give us is beyond measure. Light of a New Day is a celebration of those enduring moments.

CODY D E LONG |

Cottonwood, Arizona

Cody DeLong studied at the Loveland Academy of Fine Arts and the Scottsdale Artists School. In 2004, the Oil Painters of America selected him as that year’s recipient of the Shirl Smithson Scholarship. His work has been featured in many books and magazines, including Plein Air Magazine, Plein Air New Mexico, Sedona’s Best Artists, Sedona Magazine, Sedona Monthly, Southwest Art, Western Art Collector, and more. Cody has been a cornerstone of the Jerome, Arizona arts scene for two decades and divides his time between his Jerome Studio/Gallery and painting en plein air.

Sunny Day at the Beach

| Oil, 40 x 40 inches

this view is looking downriver from one of my many rafting trips. Last year we had gorgeous clear emerald water. Some years it’s like this, other years the river looks like chocolate milk, as it can be laden with sediment from side canyons and streams in wet years. I love the color vibrations in this piece as well as the textural qualities. There is a dynamic tension between the transitions of the water reflections and the limestone walls. There is also movement in the water gently lapping along the beach. It’s a classic sunny day at the beach and it makes me happy every time I look at it.

KADIN GOLDBERG |

Red Lodge, Montana

at a young age, Kadin Goldberg moved into a travel trailer with his family to travel the western U.S. for a year. This is where he first found his true passion for nature. Kadin graduated from the University of Montana, Missoula with a bachelor’s in psychology, but then decided to pursue art. He studied portrait and figure drawing at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy and continued his studies at Angela Cunningham’s Fine Art Studio in North Carolina. Throughout Kadin’s artistic career he has received numerous awards including first place (2017) and second place (2018) in the Rocky Mountain Juried Exhibition in Red Lodge, Montana as well as third place in the Borrego Springs Plein Air Invitational.

The Interlude

| Oil on linen, 48 x 36 inches

sometimes we need a storm in order to fully appreciate the calm. The Interlude is based on a small study that I painted on location at Pipe Creek View. It is about that moment in between the storm when everything feels just right. Using subtle and subdued color shifts, I hope to evoke a feeling of calm. With the vastness of the Grand Canyon as our stage and a brooding storm as our play, let us take a brief interlude to appreciate the striking beauty that the canyon has to offer.

ROBERT GOLDMAN |

Prescott, Arizona

Robert Goldman attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, California, and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has won numerous awards, including Best of Show at the 2019 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, second place in the Oil Painters of America Fall 2019 Online Showcase, and an award at the Lana International Art Competition juried by Wayne Thiebaud. In 2019 the Thunderbird Foundation gave Robert a successful solo show in their gallery celebrating the 150th anniversary of John Wesley Powell’s trip down the Colorado River. His works have been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, American Artist, Southwest Art, and Western Art and Architecture.

A Moment in Time

| Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 inches

one always feels in awe at the majesty of the Grand Canyon, especially when it is the subject of a painting. For the artist, the Grand Canyon presents a uniquely dramatic geological and pictorial wonderland which contains all the elements necessary for a work of art. Certain times of day such as dawn or dusk are the icing on the cake and can provide a truly sublime and compelling image which cannot be conveyed by a photograph. Such was the case with my painting A Moment in Time which depicts dramatic Yaki Point at sunset. I felt the need to add some shots of light on the cliff face, with the full moon ascending as the sun was setting.

BRUCE GÓMEZ |

Denver, Colorado

Bruce Gómez has been working in pastel full-time for the last 30 years and has been teaching workshops for the past fifteen. His artistic influences range from Paleolithic art to Alfred Sisley, Maxfield Parrish, Juan Gris, and Gustav Klimt. He considers himself fortunate to travel and paint in wonderful places like Telluride, Paris, Rome, and Moab. “I go out and look to capture that one unique and spectacular moment of life,” he says. Bruce was the recipient of the Artist’s Choice Award at the 2017 Celebration of Art.

Homage to Grofé at Sunset

| Pastel on watercolor paper, 29 x 37 inches

i was on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in the midst of days-long unending rain and snow. I looked out into nothing, a wall of silence, hoping for a break in the weather. Finally, after four days of gloom and overcast, just as I was leaving, I looked over my shoulder and saw a vision of which I’ve never again seen its equal—and thus the painting.

LINDA GLOVER GOOCH |

Mesa, Arizona

Linda Glover Gooch grew up in the warmth of the Southwest. Spending time as a child playing in the orchard groves, washes, and arroyos of Southern California is how Linda developed a love of landscape. Studying and working on location through the west has been her pursuit for the past 30 years. Linda’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and museums and has won awards such as the Patrons’ Choice Award at the Hockaday Museum exhibition “A Timeless Legacy: Women Artists of Glacier National Park” (2017 and 2019); the Governor’s Choice and Artists’ Choice Awards at the 2019 “Cowgirl Up!” exhibition at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum; and Best Body of Work at the 2014 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art. Her paintings are featured in “Art of the National Parks: Historic Connections, Contemporary Interpretations,” and have been showcased in Art of the West Magazine, Southwest Art, and Plein Air Magazine.

Canyon Motif

| Oil on linen, 24 x 20 inches

evening along the canyon creates a magic display for the viewer. As the light begins to fade a golden glow spreads across the canyon creating a buffet of harmonious color. Just a short trip up Hermit Road I came across this scene near the Trailview Overlook. I was captivated by the quiet mood and the warm colors that were set off by the cool shadows overtaking the landscape. The large shape of the front cliff set the stage for the evening performance. I believe the Grand Canyon is a place on earth where the viewer is never disappointed.

SUSIE HYER |

Evergreen, Colorado

Susie Hyer is an award-winning artist who has been working professionally since 1976. Her work has appeared in numerous galleries and national exhibitions and hangs in many private and corporate collections. Susie was honored with an award from her alma mater, Moravian College, for achievement in the field of art. Her work has appeared in numerous books and publications, including Art of the West Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air Magazine, and Southwest Art, and is represented by a number of galleries along Colorado’s Front Range and the Southwest.

Perched Above the Canyon

| Oil on linen, 30 x 40 inches

i first came to the canyon in May 1977 during the course of an epic road trip around the country, at which time, friends dropped me and a couple of other backpackers off on the rim for a decent hike down the Kaibab trail to the river. That’s when I first caught hold of the magic. Returning again in March 1985 and camping alone in the back of my truck in the snow, in a relatively empty park, I had the opportunity to really “sit with” this landscape, to contemplate, meditate, journal, and enfold its spirit into myself. While family concerns kept me away for a long period of time, I knew I would have to get down to the river again. That opportunity came in May 2015 when Cody DeLong invited me on a river trip he had wrangled together. I joined 11 other artists for a couple of weeks on a journey from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek, to record our impressions in multiple paintings and sketches. This painting is the result of one of my favorite stops along the river on that trip, where we laid over for two days at 75-Mile Canyon. The views from that spot were spectacular, but what impressed me the most was that the river was the color of Caribbean waters right there above that rapid. The turquoise water against all the colors of the canyon walls were just too tempting. 32

PEGGY IMMEL |

Taos, New Mexico

Peggy Immel is an award-winning artist whose works have been featured in exhibitions across the country. Her educational background includes architectural studies at Arizona State University and classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the DeCordova Museum School, and the Silvermine Arts Center. She is a member of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, Plein Air Artists Colorado, and Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters. Most recently, Peggy’s work won the Artist’s Choice Award at the 2019 Plein Air Artists Colorado National Juried Exhibition and the Award of Excellence at the 2018 Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters “Plein Air for the Park” at Grand Teton National Park.

Dawn Patrol

| Oil on linen, 30 x 40 inches

the break of dawn on the rim is a time of anticipation and promise, a brief period when the vast expanse of the canyon is suddenly revealed. My first sighting of the resident condors in the canyon happened at first light. They sailed like huge aircraft above the void. This piece was painted in the late winter of 2020 in the solitude of my studio as the world waited in isolation for a new beginning. During that time as I painted, I thought daily about the beauty and freedom that a sunrise over the canyon symbolizes. Those ruminations and the memory of the condors in flight inspired this painting.

BONNIE MCGEE |

St. George, Utah

bonnie mcgee has been painting en plein air since 1999, when she attended a Plein Air Painters of America workshop in Steamboat Springs. Since then, she has studied with major plein air artists, and has won awards at many events. In 2014, the Plein Air Artists of Colorado awarded her Best of Show. Prior to her art career, Bonnie was a teacher who left it all to circumnavigate the world in a sailboat with her husband for four and a half years. Her book “Voices on the Wind” describes the island cultures she encountered and their influence on how she saw her own culture. Bonnie is represented by Wild Horse in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The Sacred Hour

Oil on linen, 36 x 24 inches

my inspiration for The Sacred Hour came from a photograph I took while walking the Trail of Time geology timeline along the rim last November. The fading sun on the rocks, the dramatic penumbral glow of long, slow shadows, and the reminder that each step I took rocketed me through the millennia, all channeled into this painting. I titled it The Sacred Hour because as the canyon transforms into a vision of reds and oranges, the last hour of daylight is a time to pause and express humble gratitude.

MICK M C GINTY |

Gilbert, Arizona

mick mcginty spent his early career working for an agency designing album covers for The Police and .38 Special, movie posters and advertising campaigns for movies such as Superman, Gremlins, and Batman, and poster campaigns for Adidas and McDonald’s, among others. For the past 30 years, he has produced visuals for the NFL, Universal Studios, and numerous other film studios, video game producers, and ad agencies. Mick has spent the last 10 years producing fine art western landscapes and other commissions. In 2018, he won Best of Show at the City of Glendale Plein Air Festival and Best of Show at the City of Casa Grande Plein Air Festival.

Night Watchman

Oil on canvas, 22 x 28 inches

i first visited the Grand Canyon in the winter of 2002, and although I was amazed beyond belief, it fell short of perfect because it was overcast all day long. I made two more trips, each a year or so apart, that showed me the same overcast scenes each time. My fourth trip was the charm, but it wasn’t without suspense. It was overcast all day with a low layer of clouds covering the sky to the horizon. I was ready to give up, along with hundreds of others that day, when suddenly the sun set below the level of the clouds, and it was like the Fourth of July. Fireworks on the cliff faces that brought up a cheer that echoed along the rim. The light on the rock formations at that moment have always stuck with me. It’s been my ambition to try to bring that moment to life in many of the pieces that I paint at the canyon. They never quite match that feeling or drama, but it’s been a cherished challenge to try.

JAMES M C GREW |

Lake Oswego, Oregon

James McGrew’s strong background in natural sciences (degrees in biology, chemistry, and geology) helps him understand his natural subjects as well as to carry on the tradition of 19th century artists whose images helped to establish the first national parks. He also lends his art background to his work as a summer seasonal Yosemite ranger/naturalist as he has for the past 21 summers. His paintings hang in collections around the world and he has received numerous awards, including Best of Show and five consecutive People’s Choice Awards at the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, and three consecutive People’s Choice Awards at Zion Plein Air Invitational. James’ work has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, and Western Art Collector.

Peregrine Sunrise

| Oil on linen on birch, 20 x 30 inches

following a tumultuous night of thunderstorms, I painted on the rim at sunrise and noticed the rapid wing beats of a peregrine falcon rising up from the darkness. It flew closer and ascended into morning sunbeams before climbing so high it vanished overhead. I continued painting in solitude until a startling sound shattered the silence as the falcon opened its wings from a rocketing stoop where peregrines can exceed 240 mph—the fastest creatures on earth. Despite unrivaled combined speed, agility, bravery, and intelligence, this top predator vanished from most of its range and catastrophically fell close to extinction in the 1960s. Grand Canyon safeguards a vast expanse of intact ecosystems and ideal peregrine habitat of sheer cliffs. The canyon provides a home to the world’s largest grouping of about 100 nesting pairs. For me, these amazing birds best exemplify the Grand Canyon and I feel fortunate to share the experience of a falcon soaring upward into the warming light of a hopeful new beginning.

BETSY MENAND |

Gunnison, Colorado

Betsy Menand is an artist and adventurer who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver in painting and drawing. She has also studied art abroad at the Winchester School of Art in England and has taken courses in graphic design at Northern Arizona University. Her work has appeared in shows in Denver, Colorado and Flagstaff, Arizona. “I love to sketch and paint images gathered from my outdoor adventure photographs. Exploring the wild landscapes and national parks of the southwest is where you’ll find me,” she says.

Escalante Route

| Acrylic gouache paint on Claybord, 10 x 30 inches

my hiking group of six had a precipitous trail section to walk, one boot-width wide above 75-Mile Canyon, a sheer slot canyon below with a slight talus slope. Focused, I proceeded, following my sure-footed son. The trail traverses back for a mile and then descends down into the bottom of the canyon. We walked down the rocky side canyon floor glowing in desert colors and rejoined the river at Nevills Rapid. Above the green and white water, an incredible layering of rock angles up, seeming to grow out of the river. I looked up and down stream and took an extremely wide-angle photo, knowing I’d want to paint this someday.

MARCIA MOLNAR |

Prescott, Arizona

Marcia Molnar’s life is one of contrasts. In summer, she camps and paints en plein air on the rim of Grand Canyon. At other times, she’s in New York City, wandering the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA, and Central Park. “Having the opportunity to spend time in two different places during the year has encouraged me to try new things,” she says. Marcia lives in Prescott, Arizona with her artist husband George Molnar. Together they explore and paint Arizona ranch life as well as the Grand Canyon. Marcia’s formative years were spent in her father’s gallery in Carmel, California. She moved on to do commissioned portraiture for many years, and then landscape. Marcia was awarded the Patron’s Award at the 2018 “Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West” show at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona and won Best of Show at the 2016 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art. Her works are shown at Mountain Trails Gallery in Sedona, Arizona and the Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

You Can See Forever

| Oil, 36 x 36 inches

painting at Desert View is so exciting. Every evening it turns soft shades of purple and blue. From the darkest depths of the canyon, the river reflects the sky and it is all so beautiful. One of the things I love most about painting plein air is listening to the tourists talk. One lady exclaimed, “You can see forever!” and I thought, “That is a great title for a painting some day!”

JOSÉ LUIS NUNEZ |

Danbury, Connecticut

José Luis Nunez was born in Mexico City, where he began painting at the age of 13. He studied art and philosophy in Spain, Italy, and Mexico, and did his graduate studies in painting and metal engraving at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (San Carlos Art Academy). His work has been on view in more than 50 exhibitions around the world and has won awards in the U.S. and Brazil, where he lived for three years. A U.S. resident since 2002, José takes regular plein air painting trips to Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Many of the small paintings he creates during these sessions are the basis for larger studio paintings.

Majestic Land

| Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

in this painting, I wanted to convey the awesome feeling that one gets when one is at the edge of Grand Canyon. The land is majestic, with monumental formations along the canyon. There is drama in the geography and the color. Sunrise and sunset are the moments most cherished by artists because color and shapes get to a high degree of beauty. Two big rock cliffs escort the view and send our eyes flying, first to a red mesa in the middle and then far into the wide canyon. Our eyes fly all around the beauty of the canyon, like the condor now also flies all over it.

KARI GANOUNG RUIZ |

Interlaken, New York

Kari Ganoung Ruiz was raised at the edge of the Finger Lakes National Forest in central New York state, which set the stage for her deep connection to the natural landscape. She received a bachelor’s in fine art painting from Ashland University, Ohio. She and her husband, photographer Diego Ruiz, have an online gallery of their work, which allows them to travel the U.S. to paint and photograph en plein air. Kari was awarded Best in Show at Finger Lakes Plein Air in New York (2017), first place Quick Draw at Lighthouse Plein Air in Florida (2018), and Grand Prize at Two Rivers Plein Air in Texas (2019). Her work is held in public and private collections across the U.S. and Canada, including the collection of the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado.

Question of Time

| Oil on panel, 30 x 40 inches

How many nights turned to day, How small we are compared. When did the stone give way to wind and rain? Why does this place move us so? Why direct us to describe, represent, wander amidst capture, hold on to, be awed by but then let go? All of these questions down to one. The question of time.

MATT STERBENZ |

Chandler, Arizona

Matt Sterbenz was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Arizona State University. Matt is the former president of Arizona Plein Air Painters and has participated in some of the nation’s top plein air invitational events, including the Sedona Plein Air Festival and the Pacific Northwest Plein Air Event, and he was an invited member of the teaching faculty at the 2016 Plein Air Convention and Expo in Tucson, Arizona. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Plein Air Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine.

Zoroaster’s Embrace

| Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

Grand Canyon is full of ever-changing beauty. Light, clouds, rain, and the canyon are all fighting for attention. Clouds cast shadows that drift across the canyon, illuminating some formations and obscuring others. Sunlight changes in color and intensity. These scenes can last just moments before they fade and change into something equally beautiful but entirely different. This bounty of inspiration is why the summer monsoon season is my favorite time to paint. In this painting, a monsoon storm brings thunder and rain. Zoroaster Temple emerges from the cool depths, standing strong, gathering warm light, and radiating the sun’s glow.

DAWN SUTHERLAND |

Flagstaff, Arizona

Dawn Sutherland is a painter of southwest landscapes. A teacher in her first life, a college counselor in her second, she has been a painter since 2001. Dawn and her husband Stan moved to Arizona in 2003, where her paintbrushes met the challenge of intense blue skies, distant horizons, canyon mazes, and quilts of wildflowers. “Painting outdoors, en plein air, uniquely captures the depth, definition, and feeling of the landscape before me,” she says. “I feel there is almost always a near-perfect composition provided by nature.” 2020 is her seventh year participating in the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art. Dawn is a founding member of Arizona Plein Air Painters, and her work is represented by Arizona Handmade Gallery, Flagstaff and Jane Hamilton Fine Art, Tucson.

Another Place and Time

| Oil, 36 x 24 inches

A thousand lifetimes have passed this way Footsteps of the Ancients threading their way to the Rhythm of the Canyon’s breath Come to this place and you’ll hear Music of Deer Creek as it tumbles and sparkles over timeless stone Rising in roaring crescendo through the chasm it has carved on its way to join the River Pause and perhaps you will hear the songs of a thousand Ancients From another place and time Lifted on the wings of ravens soaring through the whispering leaves of Cottonwood trees.

PAULA SWAIN |

Salt Lake City, Utah

Paula Swain grew up with plein air painting as a part of her life. Both of her parents were art teachers, and many of Paula’s childhood weekends were spent plein air painting with her father. She eventually attended college, graduating as a registered nurse from the San Juan College of Nursing in New Mexico. But plein air painting was her first love, and she returned to it immediately. Her work can be found in collections around the world and has been shown in galleries across the U.S. Paula was most recently awarded second place in the 2019 Oil Painters of America Great Paint Out in Sedona, Arizona.

River Mile 52.8

| Oil, 40 x 25 inches

Colorado River mile 52.8 is the Nankoweap area, one of the most photographed areas along the river. This view is downriver toward the Gray Castle, and to the right are the ancestral Puebloan’s granaries. It seems anywhere, any view of Grand Canyon evokes in me a deep feeling of awe, stillness in my soul, and great respect for the canyon. Here, I also felt this respect and wonder toward the ancient ones who lived and worked here before. It is my intent to share with the viewer these feelings of joy, wonder, and awe.

SERENA SUPPLEE |

Moab, Utah

Special Guest Artist

The beauty, truth, and freedom of canyons and rivers pulse through Serena Supplee. 40 years of living on and loving the Colorado Plateau serve as the current of inspiration for her joyous artwork. She paints with watercolors and oils, working from her drawings rather than photos to give her imagination more reign. It is her mission to provide opportunity for people to connect with these spectacular landscapes through her art. Serena graduated with a BFA from Northern Arizona University before moving to Moab, Utah. For a decade she worked as a guide on the Colorado, Green, and San Juan Rivers, and she continues to row her boat and follow her heart down rivers that inspire her. Her passionate palette captures the expansion of rims, the movement of rivers, and the lighting on canyon walls which have long captivated the minds and souls of many a romantic Westerner. Serena’s artwork may be most recognized from the countless images she has published as notecards, or from her sought after Phantom Ranch t-shirts that she has designed every year since 1995. Her oil painting “Clear Path to Awe” has been on display in the Kolb Studio since 2011 as a part of the parks permanent collection. She has published two books based on her work in the Grand Canyon; the most recent, Grand Canyon Calling, features her pencil sketches adjacent to her paintings and gives an intimate view into the artistic process. The accessibility of Serena’s art reflects her mission of connection. Be it through her Giclée prints or her calendar that she has published since 2008, her work brings color into people’s homes. She considers sharing joy to be a primary aspect of her job.

Paradise Found

| Oil, 40 x 40 inches

My heart is touched by the Grand Canyon through my eyes. I create paintings to express this joy, hoping people feel joy when they see my art. I want to be a positive influence on the world. 56

Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Celebration of Art is a wonderful tradition at Grand Canyon National Park, providing a vibrant experience for visitors, a venue for artists inspired by the canyon, and a successful fundraiser to benefit an art venue at the South Rim. Art plays a critical role in the appreciation of our national parks, and this event helps to keep the artistic tradition part of the Grand Canyon experience. Since its inception in 2009, Celebration of Art has invited participating artists to paint “en plein air” (outside on location) for a week at Grand Canyon. Visitors have the opportunity to watch the artists paint along the South Rim as they interpret the ever-shifting light and shadow, amazing landforms, and vibrant colors of this vast landscape. The works produced during this time will be available for purchase online in a sale that extends through January. Celebration of Art is a singular event. No studios, no special lighting, no photographs pinned to a concept wall—just an easel, an artist, and the Grand Canyon stretched out across the horizon as far as the eye can see.

2020

2020 CE L E BRAT ION OF ART SPONSORS P RES ENT ING S P ONS ORS

Lisa Spragens K AIB AB S P ONS OR

Jeanne & Nigel Finney COCONINO S P ONS ORS

Teresa Kline Picerne Fine Art Collection, Courtesy of Doreen, David, & Danielle Picerne Amy & Mark Schiavoni Stephen Watson Tyson Winarski VIS H N U S PON S ORS

Anonymous in honor of Arline Tinus Loven Contracting Janet & Ed Sands A S PECIA L TH AN K YO U TO O U R M E DI A S P O N S O R S

American Art Collector, Cowboys & Indians, Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air Magazine, Sedona Monthly, Southwest Art, and Western Art Collector.

CO N S E R VA N C Y grandcanyon.org