South Trail Head of Henry’s Fork Green Way St. Anthony

Kara and I started out on a frosty morning looking for something pretty to paint.  Henry’s Fork of the Snake River has endless possibilities in this area.  There are the bridges, in town, the gravel beds and islands, or the willowy banks and cottonwood trees.  The South trail head of the Henry’s Fork Green way is not as popular as the other trail heads because it starts about two miles out of town, and heads North back into the main green belt. 

Although it is late March, spring has not yet pushed winter away. There is still snow on the ground where the shade blocks out the sun and our shoes crunch on the thin layers of ice that melts during the day but refreeze every night.  The sun is shinning but it doesn’t take the chill off the air.

Kara and I are both working in oil, we are both painting a small 5 X 7.  As we stand there painting the animals around us forgive our trespass and start about their daily routine.  The small wrens start calling, there is a” key-yai” of an osprey across the river., and the Canadian geese fly over in their uneven “V”.  Kara is doing so much better at getting her paintings blocked in and I enjoy getting back to a small size, which paint fast because there isn’t any room for details.

January 28, 2018: Daniel and I are setting the dates for our 2018 Paint Outs now.  The bus makes for a warm drive to the destination and a great place to take a break.  We park it where you can paint from the bus should the weather turn bitter.  A few minutes with the heaters on and you're toasty warm again and ready to continue painting.  The snow is very light this year, making it hard to find a location that doesn't look drab and dead.  The Teton River and Henry's Fork of the Snake River are always a go-to location.  I hope you don't mind repeat locations  Until we get more snow, we're kind of liimited on park-and-paint locations.  Get dates and times for our free weekly field trips SOON at www.IdahoArtLab.org/field-trips. - Kara Hidalgo

May 18, 2017:

The 3^rd turn on the way to the Idaho Art Lab. Teton Hwy. & 400 N.

This location was selected because of an observation that our drive to work is filled with wonderful locations. The 3^rd turn on the way to the Idaho Art Lab overlooks an irrigation ditch crisscrossed with walking bridges. The perspective lines of the ditch banks and nearby Teton Hwy creates a great opportunity to show depth. Kara was working on an 8x10 watercolor and I was working on an 8X10 panel in oil. After an initial setup, Kara realized she was a little too close to traffic, and moved back to a safer space. This is good to note because we do not often set up so close to roadways.  Although it wasn't evident at first the little move changed her perspective lines and her view of the ditch. She continued to paint, but by the time she realized that here new location wasn't the same perspective it was a little too late.  Much like me, in the previous week, taking the opportunity to learn from your mistakes helps you grow as an artist.  I was happy with my painting and feel it has a nice feeling of depth.  Always be safe and aware of your surroundings, if it's not traffic, it could be a cliff's edge, or wild animals. Keep it safe out there.