My Trip Out to Tucson

Picachio Peak State Park near Tucson
Pastel Plein Air 9"x12"

Karen Margulis and I drove together from our homes in Smyrna and Marietta GA to the 2016 Plein Air Convention in Tucson AZ, and also taught a 3-day plein air pastel workshop in Dripping Springs TX on the way out. We were gone a total of seventeen (17) days on this trip. Hectic? Definitely! Fun? You bet! I am going to break this in several posts about various parts of this awesome trip and so I can show quite a few of the photos.

I picked Karen up on Wednesday evening and we made it to Biloxi MS for the first night's stay at about midnight Georgia time! We rose early the next morning for a 9-hour drive to Dripping Springs TX. We were able to explore the locations of our workshop on that Friday, have lunch, and I visited with a long-time artist friend in Wimberley TX and see his gallery. If you are ever in Wimberley, visit "Art on 12" gallery and ask to see Bob and Zeina Cook! They would love to show you around this wonderful gallery.

View of the front of the gallery

The wall with Bob Cook Art!

Dinner just down from the gallery, and a band!

Here are a few photos of the locations we would be teaching on Saturday, Sunday and Monday along with some of the students.

The scene at Mt. Gainor Inn where I did a demonstration

Driving to Mt. Gainor Inn, there were cows
so interested in us taking photos of them.

We had lunch at Salt Lick Barbecue,
where we would have lunch the third day
and hold a "sharing and Q&A session!"

At each of the locations for the workshop, we had a plan for a short demo in the morning by one of us, and the other would do a short demo after lunch. The students had close to two hours after each demo to work on something while we gave advice to each individually at their easel. On the last day, we each did about a 30-minute demonstration on a very specific element of the landscape... something the students might have expressed more information on. Karen did one with clouds, and mine was about trees and sky holes! The students had time to paint before lunch, and then we closed with a question and answer with each student about their experience with the workshop, what they learned, and the goals they had for the workshop.

Charro Ranch Park would be Day Two!

Fall Creek Winery was Day Three, with Karen Margulis
and our hostess, Marsha Young

Students Love Bluebonnets!

I will pick up the thread of the trip in a few days and give you more! We had a fantastic time, talked loads, and laughed a lot! We are better artists for our time together, the team-teaching of the "Two Wandering Artists," and learning and painting at the Plein Air Convention!