“Around the Corner” 
oil on canvas
36 x 24 in.
 
About the Artist:
Cody DeLong from Cottonwood Arizona,, knows the Grand Canyon intimately,
having painted there for many years and from a variety of vantage points, including both the North and South Rims and the Colorado River. At the 2015 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, he was honored by his fellow artists as the winner of the Artists’ Choice Award.
 
Speaking about “Around the Corner,” DeLong says: “This is a side canyon from one of my many rafting trips through the Grand Canyon. I love the little triangles of light in this scene. It just makes me want to hike farther and see what’s around the corner.”
 
As one of the 26 artists participating in the 8^th annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, Delong will be painting the weekend of September 10^th at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. He and fellow artist Mitch Baird will be doing a dual demonstration on the porch of the North Rim Lodge on Saturday, September 10^th, from noon until 2pm.
 
Both artists will join the rest of the artists at the South Rim for the plein air event  taking place September 10-17, 2016, with the exhibit and sale of their work at Kolb Studio opening on September 18 and continuing through January 16, 2017. Proceeds from this event support the goal of funding a permanent art venue at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
 
For more information and a schedule of events please visit:
https://www.grandcanyon.org/arts-and-culture/2016-celebration-art
or contact Kathy Duley [email protected] 480.277.0458.
 
 
 

“Everything Shines as it Disappears” 
Oil on linen
36 x 60 in.
www.turnerfineart.com
 
Light on the Land
Kathryn Turner’s latest collection of works is entitled “Light on the Land” which relates to three central concepts she explores in her artwork. 

Firstly, visible light itself compels most artists by illuminating form and making color possible. In this body of work, Turner explores the many varieties of light from bright sunshine, to the diffused light of fog. One constant is that, in the landscape her native Jackson Hole, the light is ever changing, and this is directly reflected in her evolving artwork.

Among the highlights of this exhibition are many spectacular images of wildlife and animal subjects. These abstracted images capture a sense of movement and vitality in the forms. 

Turner’s passion for animals stems from her upbringing on the Triangle X Ranch – a family guest ranch business located within Grand Teton National Park. Working with the animals on the ranch and encounters with the wildlife that surrounded it gave her an appreciation for the beauty of their physical forms as well as a reverence for the way they live in harmony with the environment. She is inspired by how animal species live so light on the land. With deep reverence, she believes we can learn from them about how to live sustainably on this earth. Her paintings reflect this admiration. 

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a complex and bold painting of a herd of horses. This notable piece is complex in nature due to its abstracted composition and use of color. “Everything Shines as it Disappears” reflects Turner’s maturity as a artist. It tells a personal story of her family’s recent experience with Alzheimer’s disease. Objectively, the artist has retained the essential forms of the anatomy of the horses while expressing a heightened level of energy and mystery. The horse on the far left eventually fades to a gossamer veil. “I wanted to really push myself in this piece by creating a daring, expressive piece. I believe that, by its nature, art is meant to evolve. It was my hope that this painting could pave its own path to someplace all-together new.”  Such a goal would be paralyzing had it not been that Turner found a Leonard Cohen quote which provided guidance “Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. This is how the light gets in.” In order to allow for the natural evolution of the painting as well as her own style, she had to have a lightness in her approach and be willing to explore new territory. The result is indeed a rare image with singular expression.
 

“Waters of Evening”
acrylic
30 x 40 in.

ZION PLEIN AIR ART EVENT  2016 CENTENNIAL EDITION
 
         Twenty-four invited artists will paint in Zion Canyon during the week of November 7-13, 2016, celebrating the role art played in the creation of the park. This year’s eighth annual Zion National Park Plein Air Art Invitational is being billed as the “Centennial Edition,” celebrating the influence of original art in the founding of the National Park Service one hundred years ago.

         Among this year’s selected artists are long-standing favorites, a few who have been away for a while, as well as six brand new artists to the event. There are 16 oil painters, three watercolor artists, two who work in acrylic, and three pastel artists. This year’s featured artist, selected as last year’s Foundation Award Winner, is John Cogan of Farmington, New Mexico. Cogan’s new painting, “Waters of Evening” is featured in this year’s advertising and promotional materials.

         As part of this year’s “Centennial Edition” of Plein Air, each artist is invited to submit one studio painting of a national park other than Zion. Those paintings, along with one other studio painting by each artist, will hang in the Zion Human History Museum beginning September 14 through the end of the Plein Air Week in November. The studio paintings are on sale as soon as they are hung. The plein air paintings produced during Plein Air Week will go on sale Friday evening, November 11, at an invitation only preview event for art buyers. Then, beginning Saturday morning at 9 am, the show opens to the public and remains open, 9 am to 5 pm through November 28, 2016.

         Keeping with tradition, each artist will give a free one-hour painting demonstration during the week, on the patio of the Zion Human History Museum. Visitors may also interact with artists throughout the week as they paint at various locations in the canyon.

         Saturday of Plein Air Week has become one of the most fascinating days of the year in the park as all 24 artists participate in a “Paint Out” and sale which is held up-canyon on the lawn of the Zion Lodge. Between 11 am and 2 pm, visitors can watch each of the artists paint in fairly close proximity and if their heart settles on a particular painting, they can put their name on it and claim it for purchase, even before it is completed. In the meantime, a silent auction of the paintings produced for the demonstrations during the week will be ongoing in the Lodge Auditorium. When the bell rings, each painting goes to the highest bidder on the bid sheet.

         This year’s Centennial Edition of Plein Air will also feature a special slate of free lectures on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, as well as a Friday morning presentation by Zion Canyon Field Institute Director Michael Plyler on the role of art in the creation of the National Parks.

         If you can only spend a few days, or even one day, in Zion National Park this year, make plans for that visit in early November when the air is inspiringly crisp, the leaves are golden, and the artists are at work.
 

“Outside of the Fence”
acrylic
 
About the Artist:
Chantel’s passion for art began flourishing at age 12 when she was mentored under local San Diego artists. She continued to study art, largely self-taught, while living in Newport, Rhode Island and Keflavik, Iceland. While enrolled in a college art course, a fellow student introduced her to acrylic paints, and she soon found it to be a medium dominated by abstract art. But her first love was portraiture for which she found little advice. As she dreamed of perfecting her skills as an acrylic portrait artist, Chantel continued to learn from professional oil painters and translated their teachings into acrylic techniques. All the while, she remained active in local art communities.
 
In 2006, Chantel opened her own art business called Chantel’s Originals near Memphis, Tennessee. Chantel soon benefited from workshops and demonstrations with outstanding artists including Dawn Whitelaw and Michael Shane Neil. Chantel is currently the Tennessee State Ambassador for the Portrait Society of America, and is also a member of The Chestnut Group, and the American Impressionist Society. She is past President of Artists’ Link in Memphis, Tennessee.
 
Chantel has been featured in solo art shows and has participated in numerous group shows at premiere Memphis venues including the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Her award winning paintings are in private and public collections throughout the United States and overseas. Her work is published in a feature length article in Acrylic Artists magazine. Chantel resides in Bartlett, Tennessee where she teaches online and in workshops throughout the United States.