Escalante Route by Betsy Menand
10 x 30 in.
Acrylic gouache paint on clayboard
The 12th annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art kicked off in early September with 20 artists painting en plein air at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. From September 12 through September 19, visitors could watch the artists at work. Through January 18, 2021 their work will be available for sale at Kolb Studio at the South Rim and on Grand Canyon Conservancy’s online gallery (shop.grandcanyon.org).
One of this year’s artists new to the event is Colorado artist Betsy Menand. Of her work, Menand says, “I love to sketch and paint images gathered from my outdoor adventure photographs…exploring the wild landscapes and national parks of the southwest is where you’ll find me! My painting style is graphic with bold lines and colors.” This style is very apparent in her studio painting submitted to the event.
Escalante Route was inspired by a hike at 75 Mile Canyon during a raft trip through Grand Canyon. “We walked down the rocky side canyon floor glowing in desert colors. We rejoined the river at Neville’s Rapid. Above the green and white water, an incredible layering of rock angled up, seeming to grow out of the river. I looked up stream. I looked down stream. I took an extremely wide-angle photo and thought, ‘I’ll want to paint this someday.’”
Menand’s work and the work of the other Celebration of Art artists can be seen daily at Kolb Studio or online at shop.grandcanyon.org.
For more information visit grandcanyon.org and shop.grandcanyon.org, or contact Kathy Duley at [email protected] or 480-277-0458.
