Wow, what a crazy summer! We didn't know keeping up a little field trip update like this would be so impossible. We may have to give up on trying to do these weekly posts until things slow down but, boy, have we had a fun summer of plein air painting. The highlight so far has definitely been the Craters of the Moon retreat back in June.
Last year, when we scoped it out to see what the wild flowers looked like with all the lava rock, we were in awe of the rolling hills of Buckwheat flower. They are a pastel ground cover that spread across the lava field in great swaths of pinks, yellows, blues and greens. This year's trip was all about the pink monkey flower.
Wherever the spring runoff had flowed, there was a bed of Monkey flower. It made for stunning paintings and everyone agreed that Craters of the Moon during the wildflower bloom was out of this world.
We all enjoyed the kind critiques back at the lodge. We had beginners to advanced painters, as always. If you keep an open mind, even a professional painter can learn from a beginner.
We are really looking forward to August's retreat at Harriman State Park and the 4th annual Yellowstone National Park retreat in September (when all the kiddos are back in school and the Park begins to show its autumn colors). We have room in both retreats. Why don't you join us?
To see more pictures of past retreats, go to the Plein Air in the Park album at www.flickr.com/photos/idahoartlab/albums