An invite to Plein Air in the Parks!

   We are Daniel and Kara Hidalgo, founders of the Plein Air in the Parks artist retreat program which began through a partnership with Yellowstone Association Institute (now Yellowstone Forever), the learning arm of Yellowstone National Park.  We are hosting the 5th annual "Plein Air in the Parks" retreats for plein air painters in three of our national and state parks this summer.  Each of these intimate retreats are only being offered to 9 artists.  We invite you to come paint with us!   

   You can learn more and register at www.PleinAirInTheParks.org or give us a call at (208) 932-0893 to get to know us.  Below is more retreat information, our PLEIN AIR TIPS & TIDBITS (Vol. 4-19) and an invite to our WEEKLY FIELD TRIPS.

We are offering Plein Air in the Parks retreats in three Parks this summer: 

	Craters of the Moon National Monument June 8 - 12, 2019      This year's retreat will take place during the annual spring bloom at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho.  Painters will be lodged at Champagne Creek Ranch, a working ranch that is about 20 minutes away from Craters.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the break from routine life in such a beautiful, raw setting. Especially enjoyable were the vast landscapes and association with other artists of differing abilities & regions. A wonderful, authentic experience for the new or seasoned plein air artist." - Tim Goodworth (above)
	Harriman State Park of Idaho June 14 - 19, 2019  Located less than 40 miles from Yellowstone National Park, Harriman offers over 20 miles of trails. This is mostly a stay & play retreat with most painting sessions happening within a short walk from your cabin.  There is an option for an extra night FREE should you wish to be part of our art show & sale.
"I enjoyed spending time with other artists in the outdoors with incredible landscapes and great camaraderie. It is different from a competition setting in that there was more time spent together painting." - Bernadette Regnier, President, Snake River Plein Air Painters
	Yellowstone National Park August 19 - 24, 2019 This year's Yellowstone Park retreat will be based at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch in the Lamar Valley (northern Yellowstone Park).  We have partnered with the Yellowstone Forever Institute which is the learning arm of Yellowstone National Park.
"I finally took advantage of the opportunity to join with some other artists to enjoy getting out of the studio and taking one of the greatest plein air trips that I've ever been on. What an enjoyable time I had getting to work with great artists and great people. Don't miss a chance to do it! " - Vern Russell, www.vernrussellartist.com

2019 Plein Air in the Parks pricing

$824.00 (tuition & shared room / triple+ occupancy)

$926.00 (tuition & shared room / double occupancy)

$1,245.00 (tuition & private room / single occupancy)

These retreats are five days of painting and peer critiques.  We do our best to give you as many opportunities to paint as possible.  These are true retreats, not based around workshops and instruction.  You might have seen our slogan in Plein Air Magazine, "Collaboration, not competition.  Innovation, not imitation."  

  You will be staying with the group in a relaxing lodge or cabin with fun, scenic bus rides to the chosen painting sites.  Our bus, Jean Claude VanDura, is a memorable Chevy VanDura short bus all decked out just for plein air painters, complete with a drying/storage rack for paintings.  Although we are mostly professional artists, we offer daily instruction for beginners should you wish to bring a budding artist.  We want to paint in the Parks and would love for you to join us! 

  Hope to hear from you!

 - Daniel & Kara Hidalgo

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June 2, 2017:

Fremont county has many iconic places. One of my favorites is the Frostop Restaurant in Ashton.  It is easily recognized by its large rotating mug of root beer and the statue of a grizzly bear in the parking lot.  It is not an easy place to paint because it is at the intersection of Main street and Hwy. 20, the road grade is high and it is difficult to find a place that has a good view and is safely away from traffic.

We found our spot in a little landscaped area in front of the elementary school kitty-corner from the Frostop. We had to tread lightly among the flower beds and shrubs but we were able to find our sanctuary in the shade by the Rotary sign welcoming everyone to Ashton. Kara painted in watercolor and used the irises in the foreground as part of her composition.  Bea and I took a more architectural approach and started painting the building.  Bea worked in acylic and I am amazed at how she keeps the paint from drying out. She has been painting a long time and has a few tricks up her sleeve.  I was painting in oil and because of the long covered parking for the drive-in I chose a long horizontal 6 x 12 panel for my composition. A pleasant surprize was that in our paintings the bear statue looks more like a real bear taking a stroll through the parking lot.

Here in Eastern Idaho we have been the benefactors of a very mild winter this season, and with the addition of the “Little Bus that Can” winter plein air painting is underway.  Today is overcast and a cold North wind is keeping our temperature below freezing, but we are still seasonally warm for this time of year. Although we are still in our experimental stages of using the bus, and trying to find our best          practices, Kara was able to paint from the warm comfort of the bus, while I braved the outdoor temps.  Our painting spot is a scenic pullout at the Fall River Bridge just north of Chester, Idaho.  The Fall River originates deep in Yellowstone Park and is famous for its fly fishing and scenic falls.  But today our subjects are the black craggy lava rock banks which contrast with the white drifts of snow and the bright colors of the yellow, orange and red willow bark along the banks. 

I started with some thumbnail sketches and thought I had found a good composition to work with. But, after I put paint on the canvas I soon realized how difficult this painting was going to be. I realized that our eyes pick up so much information about light and dark values that it is hard to differentiate the many layers of subtle changes among the bare willows.  So, I mudded my way through and ended up with a painting that wasn’t bad.

I boarded the bus to warm up and check in on Kara’s progress.  I was impressed by her composition choice whereas she cropped in on closer subject matter. We talked a little about the challenges we faced and both felt this was a much more difficult area than we had anticipated. Although it was hard, I feel this trip was a huge success, if it was easy we wouldn’t learn anything.

May 7, 2017:

Henry's Fork Greenway, South Trail.

Kara and I enjoy the local greenway trail and sometimes get carried away watching the wildlife and forget to get out the camera and the paints. We've been waiting for a beautiful day like this but the weather has been so unpredictable we find we are the only artists out on the trail today. As we hike along we see many ducks and geese who quack and honk and Kara spies a beaver swimming along the river bank headed to his lodge. We think this makes a suitable spot to set up and we get our kits out.

We are both working in watercolor today but have selected very different scenes to paint. Kara's painting on 8X10 cold press and composes the river bank and the dead falls from the beaver. I know I want to work small and fast to study and practice how to create water that looks like it is rippled and flowing, so I tape up two small 5x7s. I paint the small island across the way with the grassy banks which are just starting to turn green. Not long after I start I am not pleased with the way things are turning out. I know I need to follow the process and see it through to it's end but sometimes a painting is just a failure. But I don't loose heart. Art is a learning process and when we learn from our failures it puts us one step closer to being where we want to be. I spend my time working on the second painting, and use it as a study of water and how the light moves off fast moving surfaces. This is a lot of fun and I work it until it is overworked. Another failure? Yes, and no. It is not a painting that I can frame and sell, but I learned a lot today about reporducing believable water in watercolor.