Video Snapshots

I've begun creating and posting a series if short videos (I call them "Video Snapshots.") to my Instagram account recently. Each video runs 13-60 seconds in length and provides a step-by-step insight into my working process on a painting or drawing (or, in some cases, a scrolled pan of an elongated drawing or journal entry.)

To date I've posted 7 snapshots. (If you don't currently have an Instagram account, you can view the first 6 on my DrawntoAdventure YouTube channel.) And, going forward, I'll try to post a new short to Instagram every 3-4 days.

Once I have a steady following I hope to expand the offering by adding slightly longer (up to 10 minutes) IGTV demo and instructional videos to the mix. 

So, take a look. And, if you like what you see be sure to "follow" me on Instagram.

Oh, if you have an idea for my future videos (Want to see instructional videos? Demos? Studio work? Plein air? Painting? Drawings? Journaling?) let me know in the comments below and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks!

Art in the Age of Covid

 Like so many others, I've been experiencing an increasing level of stress since the onslaught of the global health crisis. Thanks to the internet and 24/7 news feed (which was SO accurately described by one observer as the "Doomsday Scroll"), we are all bombarded during our every waking hour by a steady stream of political, social, and health crisis that most of us are powerless to resolve.

So, I've decided to join the growing number of people who are choosing to focus on the things that we do have some control over. I've deleted the news feed apps from my phone, stopped reading newspapers, stopped listening to radio talk shows, and stopped watching broadcast TV.

Instead, I've turned my attention to making art, fly fishing, and riding my bike (which frequently gets me to places where I can make art, or fly fish, or both.)

And - with this post - I'm renewing blog posting on a regular basis in hopes that these posts may prove helpful to others who are seeking a healthy, stress-free alternative to the current day-to-day grind.

I invite you to get comfortable, dust off your pens & pencils, get out your paints, and let's get started. 

To get things rolling (and get some rust out of the system), I decided to complete a couple of paintings from my Zion National Park series. First was In the Shadows (First Snow), 12"x12", oils on panel (above), followed by Along the River/Zion Canyon from the Temple, 9"x16", oils on panel (below). (And, if you'd like to see more works from this series, please visit my website gallery at http://www.earnestward.com/Earnest_Ward/Zion_NP.html )

In future posts I will share additional works, discuss art supplies & materials, offer suggestions on a variety of subjects and techniques, and demonstrate helpful step-by-step art-making processes.

As always, thanks for letting me share. And I hope to see you next time.

Oh, and if you'd like more frequent updates on what I'm up to, please follow me on Instagram! (https://www.instagram.com/earnestwardartist/ )

Autumn Along the Kayenta Trail, Zion NP

Virgin River and Lower Canyon from the Kayenta Trail, 

12"x9", Gamblin oils on Gessobord 

Autumn in Zion NP: pick just about any point along the Virgin River -- from the Watchman to the mouth of the Narrows -- and you're bound to be treated to a landscape dotted with delightful splashes of fall color. But to experience the season's palette at its most spectacular you'll want to go up! You could opt to see it all from Angel's Landing, or just part way up the Wiggles. If you've got the stamina you could hike up to Observation Point for a view that is truly breathtaking (both figuratively and literally.)

comp study, graphite on Rhodia grid paper

But for the elevated view with the quickest access you can't go wrong with the hike up the Kayenta Trail from the Grotto shuttle stop -- in mid to late morning if you want the east side canyon walls bathed in blues and purples, or late afternoon if you want to see the same walls awash with warm pastels, oranges and reds. (In both cases, of course, the foliage along the canyon floor will be a sublime pat work of warm greens, yellows, and burnt oranges.)

I hope these posts are inspiring you to "find your National Park" during this year's centennial celebration of the NPS. And, as always, thanks for letting me share. Cheers!

Is That Snow?!? (Week 4 in Zion NP)

the water droplets in the clouds acted as miniature prisms, 

causing the colors of the peak to change moment by moment

Each day in Zion Canyon is filled with wondrous delights, and the first day of my final full week in the park was no exception. I awoke, as usual, before dawn and, at first light, was treated to wispy white clouds dancing about the sun-drenched canyon tops. It was amazing and continued for much of the morning!

with ever-changing views like this I'm amazed that anyone opts to drive a car in Zion

For most of my stay (in fact, until the PAAI painters arrived) I seemed to be the only painter in the park. (There's lats of space to choose from and it's easy to avoid tripping over one another.) But the same can't be said for photographers. In fact, as fall color has finally begun to appear, a daily late afternoon "feeding frenzy" has become the norm at the Canyon Junction bridge, with dozens of photographers vying for position to capture the "perfect" picture of two very iconic subjects: the Watchman and Virgin River. (Ironically, I think a much better view of the pair is to be had from one of the bridges on the Pa'rus Trail, and it's crowd-free. But that's just my personal opinion.)

my "mystery flower" and one of the Arizona Sisters I encounter along the Grotto Trail

The flora of Zion Canyon has turned out to be something of an enchanting paradox; at the very same time that fall color is beginning to appear, and mornings are often marked by frost, wildflowers are popping up along the riverbanks and butterflies are seen on the canyon floor flitting about in the midday sun. The butterflies all seem to be Arizona Sisters, but there are several species of flowers, including this mystery. (If anyone has any insight as to its identity I would be most grateful if you could leave a comment or drop me an email.)

 

comp sketch have proven a wonderful tool in zion, as has my 

Zion NP Green Bike "studio on wheels", and the "phase 1" results

And then there's the plein air painting. Normally I would expect to have an hour to an hour and a half to work on a panel before the light changes too much (and with some subjects in the park that has proven the case.) But -- with a canyon that runs more or less north and south, and the canyon walls so close -- the lighting on some subjects changes in mere minutes! Fortunately, as a month-long resident, I've had the luxury of being able to return to a subject on following day(s) and pick up where I left off. 

and, when exploring afoot, my lightweight 6x8 ThumBox has been perfect

And, yes, toward the end of the week we experienced yet another dip in the temperature... and snow in the higher elevations. That required that I bundle up and venture out to the (ice covered) foot bridge to photograph the west wall peaks (and a Dipper that was fishing for her breakfast) at first light. And the whole experience was so delightfully sublime. (But was it really in the mid 80s when I got here? How things do change!) 

as the sun came up those areas of snow in direct light gradually melted, 

but those areas in shadow remained all week (and resulted in a few nice oil sketches)

Then, last but certainly not least, I had a visit -- from none other than the original Guerrilla Painter himself: Carl Judson! With the Grotto House bathed in warm afternoon sunlight we chatted for several hours (about plein air painting, my residency, and how much the park has changed since Carl's last visit some tow decades ago) before he had to hit the road again. (Carl had just returned from a business trip to China and was on his way home.) 

two typical guerrilla painters (who seem to enjoy what they do)

Next week I hope you'll join me for my last few days in Zion -- and for a little surprise. Hope to see you then.

Cheers!

  

Sunshine, Thunderstorms, and Flash Floods -- Oh My! (Week 1 in Zion)

My apologizes for the tardiness in getting my first Zion post online but, as I’m sure you can imagine, I’ve been very slow to take time away from exploring and art making to sit in front of a computer screen (and can only do it for brief periods before once again surrounding myself to the call of the wild.)

yea, I was disappointed too when they didn't give me a ranger hat 

My drive to "work" took three days and covered parts of four states... and was marvelous! 

the long drive

Day 1 was the longest, and most stressful (last minute double checking to avoid arriving at our destination only to discover something vital was left on the dining room table) although the stress usually gives way to euphoria within an hour of leaving home. The drive from Fort Worth to Albuquerque over rolling woodlands, through table-flat cotton country, and into Texas high desert scrub country. In New Mexico we passed through Billy the Kid country before we joining I-40 for the nighttime run into Albuquerque (with some very decorative lighting effects along the roadway and on overpasses.)

Day 2 had us awaking to the high desert scenery of the city... and discovering an unexpected classic car collection right across the street from our hotel.

I can imagine either one of these as a studio-on-wheels (altho' the Stutz won't carry as much)

Albuquerque to Flagstaff had us skirting the edge of the Four Corners area Indian Nations with their beautiful desert landscapes and sparsely populated vastness.

Arrival in Flagstaff was another after dark event, though much earlier than that into Albuquerque had been.

the last leg (up hill all the way)

Day 3 had us awakening in a mountain forest, descending through scrubland hills, and entering first the flat and then canyon country of the northern Arizona Navajo peoples.

my son's first cross-country drive (no extra charge for the mountain roads)

After passing through Page (and skirting briefly the edge of what I think is the most picturesque lake in America — Lake Powell) we began a series of climbs. The most notable began just after the Highway 89A turn off and was marked by a breathtaking turnout, where we stopped for the amazing views… and the kids ended up purchasing handcrafted jewelry from the four venders who maintained stalls within sight of their homes on the plain below.

shopping for jewelry on a mountainside was a delightfully serendipitous event

After the turnoff onto Route 9 at Mt. Carmel Junction we drove through rolling farm and ranch land before entering Zion NP through the east gate. Then came the amusement par ride: a mile-long tunnel that was so dark (no interior lighting) that I thought my headlights may have been burned out, followed by the most picturesque series of switchbacks I’ve ever driven in the US. Delightful!

beginning the switchback descent into the canyon

Met Gustava Hotskins, the park’s acting AiR Coordinator at the Human History Museum, received my White Pass (for driving a private car above Canyon Junction), got checked into the Grotto House, and dropped off all my gear.

At this point (thanks to the discovery of two folding cots in the house) the original plan for Misha and the kids to make the drive back to Flagstaff for the night was scrapped and we drove into Springdale for a very enjoyable patio dinner, followed by a visit to the Sol Market to stock up on provisions for my stay.

And, because the return to Flagstaff was cancelled and we found ourselves returning to the Grotto House after dark, we were able to come to the aid of a couple who were out on the no-lights Canyon Road after dark with no lights of their own… and having missed the last shuttle back into Springdale. After dropping off my groceries, wife and daughter, my son and I gave the couple a lift back to their hotel And, en route, learned that they had lost track of time during their climb to Angels Landing… when he stopped to propose to her. Thankfully, by the time we dropped them off the stress of trying to make their way in the dark had given way to relief and laughter and, hopefully, a memorable story to tell their grandchildren. (She said, “Yes.”)

our last photo together till my crew returns for me

Day 4 began with me seeing the family off to California and then I was out and about exploring — mouth agape at the shear beauty and vertical scale of my new surroundings. It seemed that, no matter which way I turned, there was a breathtaking scape to be captured on paper or panel!

the Pa'rus Trail between the Visitors Center and Canyon Junction

Day 5 — up well before dawn and work began in earnest. (What, you didn’t think I was going to work that in somewhere?) The canyons are a non-stop series of vistas. But, as a general rule, those on the west wall are going to be best lit in the morning while those on the east wall will be most dramatic in the afternoon. And some views — like the Watchman and the range south of Canyon Junction — are best during the “golden hour” just before sunset. So, I am out: identifying subjects I most want to sketch and paint, determining their compass bearing from my chosen vantage point, identifying nearby geological formations that may cast unwanted (or desirable) shadows, and determining the best time of day to capture the scene on paper or panel.

Day 6 — more scouting and mapping this morning — first on the river near the house and then up canyon. 

To minimize pollution, and curtail traffic congestion, in the canyon Zion NP and the town of Springdale have implemented two free shuttle systems — one running from the park entrance to the top end of the canyon, and one running from the bottom end of town to the park entrance. Add to that the bicycle the Park Service has provided my during my stay and I’m free to explore and discover every subject and vantage point on the canyon floor.

Popped down to the Lodge to introduce myself and to log onto their wifi (The folks at the Zion Lodge have kindly offered me VIP access to their wifi network for the duration of my stay so that I might get these weekly posts out to you.) and then hiked the half mile Grotto Trail back to the house to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. (It echoes majestically off the canyon walls and seems to go on forever.)

As I reached the house the sunny sky went dark and, within 10 minutes, the bottom fell out as a torrent of rain cascaded into the canyon… punctuated at the end by a hailstorm that peppered my windows and left the Grotto area carpeted in white. The surrounding canyon walls also sprang a dozen or so (in this area alone) new waterfalls with torrents cascading the 2000 feet or so to the canyon floor. It was all so exhilarating! (Of course, when a second storm struck in the middle of the night and I could hear the roar of the river — but couldn’t see the river’s edge — “exhilarating” was no longer the descriptive that came to mind.)

hard water?

Day 7 — the first week has flown by! I’ve discovered and experienced so very much already, with so much more yet to come. The summer warmth, with temperatures in the mid 80s, that greeted us has given way to fall temperatures that begin the day in the 50s. The sky alternates between brief glimpses of sunshine and overcast. But the morning is dry and OK for exploring (as long as I take my rain gear long, just in case.) And the afternoon showers are moderate. 

Up and down the canyon maintenance crews are out in force clearing the roads, trails (and lodge parking lot) of the red, clay-like residue of yesterday’s runoff. And I’m busy on yet another study, and enjoying a nice culpa tea.

Oh, PS, if any of you are going to be in Zion NP on Friday, Oct. 30, please join us at the Grotto picnic area at 3pm for a free Sketchbooking and Place-Based Journaling Workshop (Strathmore sketchbooks and Sakura pens included.) Hope to see you there!

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NOTE: Future posts from Zion are likely to be briefer as I intend to spend more time afield. But I think you’ll find the content, and especially the images, interesting. Cheers!