Waiting for William Hook

Memory play - 8x10 WM oil on Gesso Hardboard

Six days on the road and we arrived in Scottsdale yesterday. Went to the Scottsdale Artists School to take a look. First impression - very impressive. And the lady on the desk told us about a small  RV park only 1 km away. So we could leave the RV there, Cathy can stay comfortable and I can walk to the workshop. Bingo!

Did a walkabout last night. We are right near the middle of town. Fun and interesting with lots of shops and galleries to visit. Dropped into a few high-end galleries and found they hung much the same art as we see in many other locations - Jackson Hole etc. Technically very strong work from high end artists at big prices but most have a "sameness" to them. Certainly a few that stood out and attracted my eye but they were the exception and the ones that worked for me were not the narrative pieces that told the stories of the West. My favs were bold, impressionistic that made a simple statement with strong colour and values.  Obviously just my opinion as many of the ones that did not work for me had red dots.

Have a day to kill waiting for the workshop. Spent about 90 minutes making three quick starts in oil on panel 8x10 from memory. No place to sketch plein air from the park and too darn hot even if there was.  Fun to create from memory. May be worth returning to them once dry.

Photos were taken in direct sunlight so a bit burned out and exaggerated.

Also, I was asked how I carry my wet panels while travelling. I have tried many systems but the one I use now and like come from Judsons Plein air. Reasonably priced and very well constructed. Have 6x8, 8x10, 11x14 and 12x16.

hiding from the Arizona sun under the umbrella 

Judson Plein Air box 8x10 solid construction 

Will keep you posted about the workshop to start tomorrow.

Cheers.