2022 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art Catalog

GRAND CANYON CE L E BRATI O N O F A RT 2022

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2022

c o ve r a r t

Robert Dalegowski (1948–2018) Temple of Light and Stone

Watercolor 24 x 18 inches Courtesy of Charlie Charles Post Office Box 399, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 (800) 858-2808 grandcanyon.org copyright © 2022 by Grand Canyon Conservancy All Rights Reserved. Published 2022. 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 (except for short quotes for the purpose of review), without permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America by Prisma.

Edited by Mindy Riesenberg Designed by Sammy Schwarcz ISBN: 978-1-934656-17-4 Grand Canyon Conservancy inspires generations of park champions to cherish and support the natural and cultural wonder of Grand Canyon. Proceeds from the sale of this book directly support the mission of Grand Canyon National Park.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 6 8

foreword introduction grand canyon conservancy

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MARGARET LARLHAM

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JOHN LINTOTT

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JOSHUA BEEN

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DEBORAH McALLISTER

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ELIZABETH BLACK

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MICK McGINTY

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AMERY BOHLING

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JAMES McGREW

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PHILIP CARLTON

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BETSY MENAND

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JOHN D. COGAN

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MARCIA MOLNAR

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MICHELLE CONDRAT

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JOSE LUIS NUNEZ

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BILL CRAMER

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JOHAN SORVALA

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ROBERT GOLDMAN

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DAWN SUTHERLAND

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LINDA GLOVER GOOCH

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PAULA SWAIN

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SUSIE HYER

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celebration of art

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PEGGY IMMEL

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celebrating 90 years

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BUFFALO KAPLINSKI

FOREWORD

By Robert Stieve, Editor, Arizona Highways Only a fool would dare to single out a superlative in the Grand Canyon. No one has ever seen all there is to see. So, to say that any one place surpasses all others would be naive and presumptuous. Yet, we all do it. For me, I was staring into the sacred Narrows of Deer Creek, thinking, “This is it. This is the most beautiful place in the Grand Canyon.”

I suppose that kind of thinking is innate. That somewhere inside we have an involuntary compulsion to rate everything around us in our quest for the holy grail. Or maybe it’s learned behavior from AAA and TripAdvisor. Wherever it comes from, that need is exaggerated in a place like the Grand Canyon, where the superlatives line up like retired numbers in the outfield at Yankee Stadium.

Widforss Point, Nankoweap, Cedar Ridge, the Confluence, Roaring Springs, Deer Creek . . . each one is the most beautiful place in the Grand Canyon. Until you get to the next place. That’s why it’s foolish to write about superlatives. Or maybe it’s foolish to write anything at all. My late friend and colleague Charles Bowden felt that way.

“There is a part of me that thinks that no one should write a word about the Grand Canyon,” he said, “or take a photograph or paint a picture. And I believe this . . . because the canyon is like great music, within the reach of everyone and beyond the comprehension of anyone.”

He was right, on an intellectual level, but we’re undeterred by the limitations in our pursuit of comprehension. And expression. We have to try. Because it’s what we do, whether we’re artists at the South Rim, photographers on the Unkar Delta, or poets at Point Sublime.

At Arizona Highways, we’ve been trying to comprehend that otherworldly landscape for almost a hundred years. There have been so many combinations of vowels and consonants, by so many brilliant writers. And so many photographs. Thousands and thousands of them, by legendary photographers such as Ansel Adams, Esther Henderson, and David Muench. Some of their best images of the canyon have ended up on our covers.

In all, we’ve published 99 covers showcasing the natural wonder. Some with snow. Some with waterfalls. Several others show the Colorado River. Only three of them were made by artists— Jimmy Swinnerton, Chris Gall, and Amery Bohling.

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Mr. Swinnerton’s painting appeared on our January 1951 cover. The caption reads: “Jimmy Swinnerton faithfully portrays the grandeur and majesty of the western scene. His favorite subject has been the Grand Canyon, which he has been painting for 40 years.”

Sixty-six years later, in January 2017, Chris Gall illustrated a cover reminiscent of a vintage travel poster. The most recent masterpiece marked the centennial of Grand Canyon National Park.

As we were gathering pieces for that issue, in February 2019, I decided that I wanted something different on the cover.

Something special. Something in the tradition of Louis Akin, Thomas Moran, and Gunnar Widforss. I kept thinking about Amery Bohling, an artist I’d learned about at the Celebration of Art—I was privileged to sit on the board of Grand Canyon Conservancy when the event was being conceptualized. I figured that Amery was a long shot, but I texted her anyway.

It was 1:58 p.m.

“Hello Amery. I’m wondering if you’d be willing to talk about painting the cover for our February issue, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park.”

One minute later, she texted back. “Sure. Is now a good time?”

Amery Bohling Approaching Windy Ridge 40x30, oil

We talked, and just like that, we had a plan. A few months later, when I got my first glimpse of Amery’s painting on our cover, I was smitten. “This is the one of the most beautiful Grand Canyon covers we’ve ever done,” I thought—somewhere inside, we have an involuntary compulsion to rate everything around us.

To Chuck’s point, no words or photographs or paintings will ever be enough. To feel the deeper connection—to even attempt comprehension—you have stand at Widforss Point or Roaring Springs or Cedar Ridge. Of course, not everyone gets that opportunity. And that’s where we come in: the writers, the photographers, the artists. We make books and magazines. And we make fine art. Incredible fine art. Like the masterworks you’ll see at the 14th annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art.

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INTRODUCTION Theresa McMullan, Chief Executive Officer Grand Canyon Conservancy Welcome to the 14th Annual Celebration of Art. Attracting artists, art collectors, park supporters, and art lovers worldwide, this year’s event features 23 artists from six states.

Blazes of light and subtlety of darkness, shadows from the early morning and the golden light of sunset, from the shores of the river to the sheer cliffs below the rim and the mountains in the distance, this year’s body of work inspires the sense of wonder that is Grand Canyon.

This catalog features studio-produced paintings of spectacular vistas and Grand Canyon scenes submitted by participating artists. These paintings, along with the plein air work created during the 2022 Celebration of Art, will be offered for sale online and in-person at Kolb Studio from September 18, 2022, to January 16, 2023.

Proceeds from the sale contribute to a future art venue to showcase the art and other collections of Grand Canyon Conservancy and the National Park Service.

The board of directors and staff of Grand Canyon Conservancy wish to express our deep appreciation to the generous sponsors, volunteers, art patrons, the National Park Service, and most of all, the talented and dedicated artists who participate in and support this unique event.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEB WEINKAUFF

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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 generations of park champions to cherish and support the natural and cultural wonder of Grand Canyon. For more information, visit grandcanyon.org.

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

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PHOTOS COURTESY NPS

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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.

Adventuring down to the bottom, indeed the “Basement” of the Grand Canyon, leaves one in complete awe of the earth sciences that took place to create such spectacles. Add the cosmic sciences to the earthen, and we get the “Golden Hour.”

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The Golden Hour | 24x48, oil

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ELIZABETH BLACK Boulder, Colorado

Elizabeth Black worked as a river guide in 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 (most recently in 2020), 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.

Framed by Fossil Mountain and looking west from Havasupai Point, Mt. Huethawali and the Powell Plateau sing to each other across the wide expanses of the western Esplanade. The Havasupai and Hualapai people have lived in this area for centuries, calling to their gods to provide the gifts of their desert home. Perhaps their deep connection with the earth and sky is why we more easily accept a landscape painting that includes an Indigenous person. If a non-Indigenous person were to take the Indigenous person’s place in the painting, most would consider the painting ruined. What would it take to change that view, and make the inclusion of a non-Indigenous person in a landscape painting acceptable? If non-Indigenous people lived lightly on the earth, in harmony with nature, would our opinions change?

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Calling the Rain, Havasupai Point, GCNP | 24x46, oil

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AMERY BOHLING Scottsdale, Arizona

Amery Bohling is an Arizona-based painter best known for her masterful works of Grand Canyon. She is proud to hold membership to the prestigious Oil Painters of America, California Art Club, and Grand Canyon Conservancy. In 2019, her work was selected as the cover for Arizona Highway Magazine’s February issue, dedicated to celebrating Grand Canyon National Park’s Centennial. Other print features have been included in Phoenix Home and Garden, Plein Air Magazine, Western Art Collector, and Southwest Art Magazine. When not painting at the edge of the canyon, Amery can often be found working in her studio and gallery based in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale or painting Mexican seascapes in Cabo San Lucas.

I found this spectacular view of the canyon as I was walking one morning between Yavapai and Mather point.

To me, it’s an ideal composition, thanks to the rich, dark trees in the foreground that frame the sun-drenched summits beyond. This is, after all, how many of us discover the canyon. We approach a sea of trees and suddenly right there before us is an unexpected, unimaginable chasm!

I painted this scene in the brilliant reds, yellows, violets, and blues that I remembered seeing that day. In many ways, its luminosity and vibrant color recall Thomas Moran, whose canyon paintings are also infused with emotion.

Photographs are a wonderful tool for the painter. They capture exactly what is there, but as an artist, I’m free to minimize or elaborate certain elements of the landscape for the greater good of the painting. I can be creative and deviate from what I see. I paint my memory of the view because the best stuff—the light on the cliffs, the mystery of the trees, my sense of wonder—is preserved in my mind. A photograph simply can’t present it the same way.

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The Great American Chasm | 24x36, oil

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PHILIP CARLTON Fruita, Colorado

Philip Carlton is a self-taught plein air painter who travels extensively to capture the visual splendor and intrigue of both the natural and urban worlds. He participated in his first plein air competition in 2015 following the encouragement of close friends.

One year later he embarked on a road trip that would reshape his artistic path. In 2016 he packed his easel for the first time on a solo trip to Grand Teton National Park, spending nine days painting along the way. After returning home he was hooked on painting as a form of adventure and was on the road again just a month later, this time painting Canyonlands, Arches, and Yosemite National Parks. In 2018, he painted at the rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time and has returned frequently since.

This painting is a memory of the bright and clear start to my first trek down to the Colorado River via the Kaibab Trail. On a day where the temperature approached 110 degrees at the floor of the canyon, shade was infrequent but very welcome.

While the sun was still low in the sky there were moments of great visual intrigue when only a few feet of the trail were illuminated in front of me. The nearby rock glowed with a fire that caused the North Rim and everything in between to recede into relative darkness. This painting was my attempt to capture the full range of that depth. Although we often think of the canyon as being filled with light, seeing the trail before you fully ablaze makes you more cognizant of the canyon being still overwhelmed by shadow in the early morning hours.

As a hiker descending the canyon for the first time, knowing that you’re hours away from its greatest depths is both exhilarating and overwhelming. The thrill and fear of the unknown is thankfully balanced by the mind-boggling beauty of the day ahead of you.

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A Journey That Begins Where Everything Ends | 22x44, oil

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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 and the People’s Choice Award in 2021. 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. In 2019, John was designated an Associate Living Master™ at the Art Renewal Center, an honor that places him among the best representational artists of this century.

Along its eastern-most boundary, the rim of the Grand Canyon rises steeply from the shores of the river to the desert above. Sheer cliffs, known as the Desert Façade, tower above the river. These precipices form an almost impregnable wall, marked by pinnacles and peaks, spires and summits, steeple- and turret-like formations, which conjure up visions of ancient castles. Rising into the heavens just above the confluence of the Little Colorado and the Colorado Rivers, these magnificent temples catch the morning sun as rafters begin their morning run. Ahead is the rivers’ convergence, and from there southward and westward lies the heart of the Grand Canyon.

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Morning Castles on the Colorado River | 30x40, acrylic

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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 “digital” or “architectural” style of intense color choices and linear blended strokes, giving motion and depth to her paintings. Michelle won Best of Show at the 2021 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art and was the winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Zion National Park Invitational (2019) and the Purchase Award at the Sears Dixie Invitational (2021), among other awards.

There is nothing more spectacular than a desert sunset! Due to its dry air and intense light, you can see the full color spectrum as you look out across the land. From one horizon to the other, the colors of the sky and landscape explode with vivid reds and pinks in the clouds, burnt oranges in the rocks, and deep purples and blues through the canyon shadows, all while the sun gives a golden spark to everything it touches.

The Southwest is truly a unique place and gives unfiltered views of a landscape unlike any other in the world. The desert has always held a special place in my heart, and I love it for its beauty and inspiration. It is the one place that always draws me back and makes me feel like I am home.

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The Golden Touch | 24x36, oil

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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, including the Artists’ Choice Award at the 2020 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art and Best of Show at Prescott Plein Air (2020). “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.

I’m asked to write something about a place and artistic activity that for me are beyond words. I’m a pusher of colorful mud not a wordsmith. I suppose that’s why some of us paint. Words don’t really cut it. Painting doesn’t really cut it either, but in my totally unbiased opinion, I think it comes pretty close. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote, “The hidden harmony is better than the obvious.” In their creations, artists, poets, writers, and photographers of the Grand Canyon are all looking for the hidden harmony or truth that lies at the heart of it. However, the truth is far greater than we can perceive or interpret. It’s in the nature of things that our efforts to really understand the canyon fall short. But I think we move closer to understanding when we at least make the attempt. The Nature of Things is my latest attempt to understand. It’s from another mind-blowing evening spent at Yaki Point.

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The Nature of Things | 36x36, oil

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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.

The view from Yaki Point at sunset is an enchanting experience. Many evening visitors to this spot look west toward the setting sun. For me, the real magic is the view to the east as the shadows quietly creep up from the depths of the canyon. Observing the last embers of light in the wondrous Grand Canyon is a time for tranquility and reflection that I try to depict in my painting titled Evening Tranquility.

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Evening Tranquility | 30x40, oil

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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.

The interactions between clouds and the Grand Canyon have become a fascination to me. Mesmerized by the shadows that dance across the canyon, I was captivated by the warm colors that were set off by the cool shadows joining the landscape. I’m continually inspired by the canyon walls with its layers of colors, reflected light, and interesting rock formations.

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Echoes of Time | 22x30, oil

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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.

Standing on the South Rim to watch the sun come up is an experience for which people come from all over the world.

The sight of the sun hitting first a few, and then a few more of the temples and peaks is magical and breathtaking. When the sky is clear in the east, the colors in those first moments dazzle the mind as the infrared light rakes across the canyon features, producing first blazes of yellow, orange, and red in the light, blues and purples in the shadows. What theatre, what a show! Those first moments are so stunning that I forget I’m standing there to paint. Quick, get set up before those colors and shapes change so fast! Being able to paint and share this experience with other artist friends is as much of a gift as is being a witness to the spectacle of a sunrise at the canyon.

This painting was done from a 16 x 16 study that was painted on location with friends in 2021. I carry the memory of that morning with me into this larger piece, making the moments of that morning show last a while longer.

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The Morning Show | 40x30, oil

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PEGGY IMMEL Taos, New Mexico

Peggy Immel is an award-winning artist whose works have been featured in exhibitions throughout 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 Master Signature member of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, a Signature Member of Plein Air Artists Colorado, and a Signature Member of American Women Artists.

Most recently, Peggy’s work received the Best of Show Trustees Award at the 2022 Millicent Rogers Museum Annual Miniature Exhibition in Taos, NM and First Place in the 2021 Sedona Plein Air Festival in Sedona, AZ. Her work has been showcased in Santa Fean Magazine, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, and Art of the West Magazine.

There is a special vista in the Grand Canyon along the trail just west of Yavapai Point where people gather nightly to watch the sunset. One evening last year I watched it from that place, wondering how many eyes have seen the sun go down from this exact spot, how many souls have had this grand theatrical experience. An old juniper has been standing at that same place for hundreds of years watching daily sunsets long before the Kolb brothers built their studio, in fact, probably long before the colonists landed at Plymouth Rock. These ancient junipers and the canyon itself are reminders that time is relative. It passes in an instant and an eternity.

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Time Traveler | 24x36, oil

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BUFFALO KAPLINSKI Elizabeth, Colorado

Buffalo Kaplinski was born in Chicago, and studied at the American Academy of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. After working as a commercial artist, the lure of the American Southwest took him to Taos, New Mexico, where his career as a fine artist began over 50 years ago. He quickly became known as a fine contemporary landscape artist working in watercolor and acrylic. His work is in numerous corporate collections and hundreds of private collections, and has been exhibited by the American Watercolor Society, the Artists of America Show, and the National Academy of Design.

I wanted to do a painting that would capture the vastness of the Grand Canyon and the various plateaus within it. All the forms in the canyon have a very eye-catching design and pleasing color and this is apparent at Moran Point. The Grand Canyon is world class scenery and is one of my favorite places next to Malispina Glacier in Alaska and Iguacu Falls in Brazil. The colors I’ve selected are complimentary, warm and cool. The shadows are done with an exquisite color–iridescent manganese blue. The sky is a very wet watercolor wash complimented by the more hard-edge forms of the canyon. I find the Grand Canyon is a true wonder and challenge to paint!

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Molten Sky Over Moran Point – Grand Canyon | 18x24, watercolor

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MARGARET LARLHAM San Diego, California

Drawn especially to wilderness terrain, Margaret Larlham paints outdoors in the Mission Trails Preserve near her home in San Diego or on her travels through England, Tanzania, and her homeland, South Africa. Both her plein air and studio work have garnered attention in international, national, and regional juried exhibitions as well as plein air invitationals. She was the recipient of First Prize in the Quick Paint and an Award of Merit at the 2022 Borrego Plein Air Invitational, and First Place (Art + Nature) at the 2021 Laguna Plein Air Painters Exhibition, among other awards.

What an immense challenge to paint the awesome and breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon! Even from a secure place on the rim I swoon at the dynamics of the space. It thrills the senses, as though falling and flying.

As a plein air painter I think of myself most often as a tree in the landscape, a rooted presence growing toward the light.

In these studio works of the Grand Canyon, however, I was propelled also by my imagination to become more birdlike.

I leave my secure stand of what I can see and, as birds do, perch, swoop, and soar, investigating this mysterious realm.

The pastel medium is my choice for its quick access to a pre-mixed palette, the mark-making ease of the of pastel sticks, and the lasting freshness of pigment energy.

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Canyon Grandstand | 18x24, pastel

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JOHN LINTOTT Grand Junction, Colorado

John Lintott lives in Grand Junction, Colorado with his wife Emily and their three daughters. He works part-time as the co-executive director of the Colorado National Monument Association and organizes the park’s Monuments and Canyons Plein Air Invitational. He paints in his studio at home and has painted in numerous plein air events including the Zion National Park Plein Air Invitational, the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, and the Sedona Plein Air Festival. John’s work was selected for the 2020 and 2021 Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, and the 2021 and 2022 Oil Painters of America National Exhibition. He has exhibited in the Colorado Governor’s Art Show in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. In early 2022 John was invited to become a signature member of the Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA).

The Grand Canyon is so beautiful, so vast in its existence, one can only try to process the emotions that it brings on when staring out into its expanse. Years ago, when I started to paint the Grand Canyon, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be or continue to be. Ultimately, I began to look at the canyon as an abstract play of light and shadow. The emotions that are brought forth for me vary between solace, reflection, and serenity, to joy, excitement, and hope.

My painting for this year’s Celebration of Art represents the time when the last light hits the vastness of the canyon, and the shadows take over, winning their struggle for the day. One day ends, only to bring forward a new one complete with new emotions to be experienced. I am honored to have the opportunity to translate my interpretation of the emotions of this great park.

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Endurance of Shadows | 24x36, oil

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DEBORAH McALLISTER Cottonwood, Arizona

Deborah McAllister has been creating art since childhood and decided by the age of 13 that she wanted to be a professional artist. After high school she attended the Colorado Institute of Art and then worked in graphic design and illustration before pursuing a fine art career. Inspired by the landscape, she especially enjoys traveling and plein air painting. In 2019, Deborah and her husband sold their house in Colorado and started a life of travel in an RV, eventually settling in Cottonwood, Arizona, but still spending months on the road exploring new landscapes. Deborah has exhibited with Women Artists of the West and Oil Painters of America, and is represented by Zen Mountain Gallery (Cottonwood), Rijks Gallery (Crested Butte), and Mary Williams Fine Arts (Boulder).

I was very excited to have the opportunity to paint and photograph the Grand Canyon in 2021. I painted at the canyon for more than two weeks during spring and fall, which gave me the experience of seeing different lighting conditions from many vantage points. After gaining familiarity with the light and shapes in person, I felt up to tackling a larger painting from photo reference. What I was trying to capture in this painting was the feeling of distance in the layers of the canyon at the end of the day and the drama of the evening sky and its effect on the cliffs.

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Canyon Cloud | 20x20, oil

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MICK McGINTY Cottonwood, Arizona

Mick McGinty spent his early career working as an airbrush illustrator for a studio in California until he began freelancing. Over his 30 + years as an illustrator he produced visuals for the NFL, Universal Studios, Reebok, and nearly all movie studios, video game producers, and major advertising agencies. Some of the most notable include posters for the movies “Field of Dreams,” “Harry and the Hendersons,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” “Dragnet,” “Rambo,” and “Curse of the Pink Panther.” He also designed video game covers for the Street Fighter II series, Streets of Rage 2, Kid Chameleon, and the Zoo Tycoon series, among others. Mick spent the last 10 years producing fine art western landscapes, still lifes, and other commissions. He received many awards for his fine art paintings, but his greatest award received for one of his paintings was last year’s “Artists Choice Award” at the 2021 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, which he received only days before his passing. He was truly overwhelmed with joy. Mick passed away after a six-week bout with cancer on September 18, 2021.

Mick did not have a name on this painting, so our family named it “Rock of Ages” because it was the last worship song we sang together with him as a family on the day he was baptized shortly before he passed. We felt like he would see this as an appropriate title for this painting.

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Rock of Ages | 12x12, oil

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JAMES McGREW 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 24 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 four 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.

On September 18, 2021, intense thunderstorms brought torrential rain and hail, fog, thunder, and lightning that lasted several hours and cleared crowds from the Hermit’s Road viewpoints. Shortly before sunset, the storm progressed northward as the sun fell below clouds on the western horizon. Brilliant rays suddenly poured in and illuminated the majestic geologic features. I raced to paint a plein air study which conveyed a visual representation as well as the thrilling emotion as I painted in unusual solitude near Powell Point. A few well camouflaged desert bighorn ewes and lambs later emerged and quietly grazed in the shadows. The sheep offer a sense of scale and serve as a reminder that the Grand Canyon exhibits not only unique beauty and geologic wonder, but also protects habitat for its often-overlooked desert dwelling species. Bighorns are just one example of a species which suffered catastrophic decline, disappearing from most of their historic range and needing protection and reintroduction to other parks. However, the vast landscape of the Grand Canyon maintained a natural population that has weathered the storm.

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Grand Canyon, Sunset Clearing Thunderstorm | 30x40, oil

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BETSY MENAND Gunnison, Colorado

Betsy Menand’s first Grand Canyon adventure was a hike down to Horseshoe Mesa on the Grandview Trail in 1980. In 1984, she was invited to hike down the Nankoweap Trail to join a research river trip on the Colorado River. This turned into 40 years of exploring the Colorado Plateau through hiking, boating, and art.

Betsy earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing and painting from the University of Denver, and has been a juried and/or invited artist at Canyons and Monuments Plein Air (2021), Sedona Arts Center (2022), Grand Canyon Celebration of Art (2020, 2021, 2022), and Sedona’s 18th Annual Plein Air Festival (2022). She lives near Gunnison, Colorado at 9,000 feet on Gold Creek, the headwaters of the Colorado River that eventually flows through Grand Canyon National Park.

It is a lucky day when you find yourself with this view!

Most days, it’s when you are on your way to a southern Utah adventure or North Rim or visiting a friend just up the road at Badger Creek.

Tradition, since 1995 and the new car bridge was built, is to park at the south end and walk out on the 1929 Original Bridge / pedestrian now.

We look over the railing – look upriver – look down river – look for condors who nest nearby.

I take pictures and marvel at the height above the river – 470 feet. We ponder the water and this arid landscape. We contemplate where all this water came from and where it is flowing. The color of water from above is what keeps me lingering. I take more pictures . . . someday, I will paint this view. We head back to the truck and on the way purchase turquoise earrings from the Navajo Artisan Bead Stand – to help with this lucky journey we are on.

Today – we are extra lucky! We are going on a Grand Canyon river trip.

We will float under the bridge at river mile 4.5 in a few hours and 2 weeks on will have rafted 277 miles on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park.

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View from Navajo Bridge – Colorado River | 24x36, acrylic gouache

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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.

I am inspired by being at the canyon and watching the storms and sunsets move in and out. My memories breathe soul into my paintings. I know I’ve finished a painting when it takes me back to the canyon.

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Zoro Light Show | 36x24, oil

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JOSE LUIS NUNEZ San Diego, California

Jose 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 United States and Brazil, where he lived for three years. A U.S. resident since 2002, Jose takes regular plein air painting trips to Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.

This painting is inspired by a view a few steps east of Mather Point where we can enjoy one of the most magnificent sunset views of the Grand Canyon. The warm light of the sunset shines over the iron-rich redwalls making them glow with saturated reds, oranges, and yellows. O’Neill Butte is the first one to take hold of our sight, but quickly Zoroaster and Brahma Temples demand our attention. The Grand Canyon displays all its grandeur, depth, and beauty during these wonderful sunsets. Our eyes follow the high ridges that project their shadows over the deep valleys and canyons. This is witnessed everyday by those old junipers and shrubs that border the rim. Unforgettable moments!

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Warm Light Over O’Neill Butte | 24x36, oil

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JOHAN SORVALA Phoenix, Arizona

Johan Sorvala is an Arizona based artist who has won competitions around the state. Johan has never worked so hard and been so mesmerized in anything in his life as he does as a painter. He wandered around most of his life piddling with this and that. Suddenly he had something to put all his energy, time, and resources into. Although his work has not fully matured, discovering his voice is enjoyable for him. He realizes as his body of work expands there will be more consistency as he learns his craft. All he needs to concentrate on is a defined space with a clear boundary from the rest of the world. All the noise beyond that disappears when he can focus all his energy on a single painting. There is still plenty there that is unknown, which insists his desire, to keep poking at something.

The visceral feeling of my body, when I stepped to the edge of the canyon, created a lasting effect. The enormous space and amount of depth this canyon has with the sun’s light traveling at 93,000,000 miles an hour, bouncing off and ricocheting from every surface in every direction and somehow being trapped by our eyeball and signaling to our brain that lives in complete darkness, is incomprehensible.

I try to convey that on a flat surface by tickling it with a little paint.

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Anybody Wanna Go Camping? | 18x36, oil

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DAWN SUTHERLAND Flagstaff, Arizona

Dawn Sutherland grew up on a farm in northern Wisconsin. A teacher in her first life, a counselor in her second, Dawn began her third life as a painter in 2001. A move from Wisconsin to Arizona in 2004 immersed her in the spectacular and diverse scenery of the Southwest. “Painting outdoors uniquely captures the depth, definition, and feeling of the landscape before me. I feel there is almost always a near-perfect composition provided by nature. Sometimes a scene announces itself; sometimes I hear only a whisper. Those are the images that find their way to my heart and my canvas.”

Dawn, her husband Stan, and their three cats live in Flagstaff, Arizona. When not in her studio, Dawn can be found in her gardens or on hiking trails. A founding member of Arizona Plein Air Painters, Dawn is also a member of The Nature Conservancy, Grand Canyon Conservancy, Best Friends Animal Society, and Morris Animal Foundation.

She is represented by Arizona Handmade Gallery in Flagstaff and Jane Hamilton Fine Art in Tucson.

Streams of morning sunlight crescendo through fissures and side canyons. Towering walls of stone rise opalescent into the blue morning sky. Broad mesquites shelter damp sandy shores and their fragrance drifts on the breeze. Great blue herons startle, and canyon wrens’ spiraling calls echo off sheer redwall cliffs.

A symphony for one’s senses: every bend, every rapid is a repeating refrain, a rondo playing through measures of canyon drama and peaceful river passages.

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River Rondo | 20x30, oil

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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 attended the University of Utah, and later graduated 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 around the U.S. Paula was awarded second place in the 2019 Oil Painters of America Great Paint Out in Sedona, Arizona and third place in the 2020 Sedona Plein Air event. “Painting plein air provides such unbelievable moments, changes in light, weather, temperature, hearing birds, seeing wildlife,” she says. “During these beautiful moments, when painting with my dad, he would pause his brush to say, ‘we are rich as kings!’ I wish to share with the viewer the exuberant joy of the spectacular landscapes around us.”

Whether along the rim or the river, the Grand Canyon is full of magnificent beauty. Looking through the plein air works I’ve created along the Colorado River consistently brings back the excitement and joy of being there. I strive to magnify this incredible feeling to others. President Harding Camp near Eminence Break is one of my favorite camps. As the sun was going setting, the light reflected the mesmerizing and warm colors of the canyon walls. I was reminded of this quote by Charles Webster Hawthorne from Hawthorne on Painting: “Each day has its own individuality of color.”

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Marble Canyon Magic | 30x40, oil

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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. The works produced during this time are shown alongside studio-produced pieces at the historic Kolb Studio in an exhibition and sale that extends for four months, both in-person and online.

Visitors can watch the artists paint along the South Rim as they interpret the evershifting light and shadow, amazing landforms, and vibrant colors of this vast landscape.

In addition, there are free artist demonstrations scheduled at various locations at the canyon during the week.

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.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEB WEINKAUFF

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Celebrating 90 Years of Preserving and Protecting Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon Conservancy was founded in 1932 as the Grand Canyon Natural History Association by naturalist Edwin “Eddie” McKee. A ranger working on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, McKee saw the need for a park partner that would support interpretive programs and publications about the canyon, and from its beginnings the natural history association did just that, funding interpretive talks, research, and scientific papers.

Today, Grand Canyon Conservancy still serves its founding mission—and much more.

Membership, book publishing, educational programming, philanthropy programs, and more retail locations were added over the years. Each year, Grand Canyon Conservancy provides millions of dollars and countless service hours to support the priorities of Grand Canyon National Park.

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GRANO CANYON NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION ·'� ,,, .. ,.,

B/W PHOTOS COURTESY NPS; COLOR PHOTO OF JAMES UQUALLA BY MINDY RIESENBERG

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2 0 22 C E L E B RATI O N O F ART SP O NSO RS The 14th annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art is presented by Grand Canyon Conservancy on behalf of Grand Canyon National Park. Major support is provided by our sponsors. We thank them for their generous contributions.

P RE MI E R SPO NSO R

COCO NI NO SPO NSO RS Jeanne and Nigel Finney Terri Kline Picerne Fine Art Collection Courtesy of Doreen, David, and Danielle Picerne Amy and Mark Schiavoni Elizabeth and Stephen Watson V I SHNU SPO NSO RS Anonymous in honor of Arline Tinus John H. Glanville Bonnie Kaufman and Peggy Reiner Loven Contracting Tyson Winarski A SPECIAL THA N K YO U TO O UR MED IA SPO N SOR S

Fine Art Connoisseur and Plein Air Magazine TO P U RC H AS E PA I N T I N G S F RO M C E L E B R AT I ON OF AR T , V I S I T GR AN DCAN YON . OR G/ COA

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