Every fall, a handful of accomplished artists travel to one of the great natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon, to capture its awe-inspiring beauty. This year marks the 14th edition of the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, in which 22 artists will be in attendance painting along the South Rim from September 10 to 16. And anyone visiting the Grand Canyon during this time will have the opportunity to watch the artists as they paint in plein air.
John D. Cogan, Morning Castles on the Colorado River, acrylic, 30 x 40”
Friday, September 16, is the paint-out event from 3 to 7 p.m., where artists interpret the continuously shifting lights and shadows across the canyon walls, as well as its vibrant colors and magnificent geologic forms.
One of the artists returning this year is John D. Cogan, who’s participated in every Grand Canyon Celebration of Art event since its inception in 2009. “The Grand Canyon is always the same and yet always different. Each year I find vistas I have never seen, new points of view that surprise me and familiar places with different lighting at a different time of day. And, of course, the weather changes from day to day and even hour to hour creating new and ever-changing themes and patterns of light and dark. The possibilities prove to be endless,” says Cogan. “Returning to the same theme and location is common with artists. How many horses did Remington paint or sculpt? How many late evening skies did Frederic Church depict?...Returning to the same theme gives the artist a chance to practice until he gets it down to his satisfaction.”
Linda Glover Gooch, Echoes of Time, oil, 22 x 30”
Amery Bohling, The Great American Chasm, oil, 24 x 36”
Landscape painter Dawn Sutherland says, “I’m lucky to live so close to the canyon and each time I go there, I feel as though I’m visiting an old friend. It is such an honor and privilege to paint in the Celebration of Art and to have the opportunity to translate onto canvas the beauty and wonder of the Grand Canyon as I see it. I look forward to catching up with old painter friends, meeting new ones and chatting with visitors as they watch me paint.”
Other participating artists include James McGrew and Michelle Condrat, who says, “That first sight always fills me with excitement, and I can’t wait to whip out my paints and brushes and start capturing the beautiful landscape onto my canvas.”
Michelle Condrat works on a painting during the 2019 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art.
Artist Cody DeLong at the 2019 Quick Draw.
A special online silent auction will take place September 2 to 17, featuring pieces chosen by the artists. The silent auction winners will be announced on Sunday, September 18. The exhibition and sale opens to the public at Kolb Studio that same Sunday, and will continue through January 16, 2023. —
Grand Canyon Celebration of Art
September 10, 2022-January 16, 2023
Plein Air at Grand Canyon, Sept. 10-16
Artist Paint-Out, Sept. 16, 3-7 p.m.
Exhibition and Sale, Sept. 18, 2022-Jan. 16, 2023
Kolb Studio, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ 86023
(480) 277-0458, www.grandcanyon.org/coa
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