Yosemite on Canvas
Trek to the beautiful sights of Yosemite
without ever leaving the Central Valley
The world of art collecting is unique and filled with passion. The thrill of finding a piece of art that moves the viewer to just the right emotion, or brings peace to the mind is an experience that art collectors crave. But, what about the artists? What journey do they go through to create art that inspires? Thirteen female artists from the West Coast came together to enjoy just such an experience collectively for a week this past year in Yosemite National Park. Some of the resulting artworks are plein air paintings created on location in the natural setting, and some are larger, more detailed paintings completed in the artist studio after the week-long nature study. The exhibition of about sixty oil, watercolor, and pastel paintings depicting Yosemite will be on display and for sale at Lodi’s Knowlton Gallery this October.
In addition to the time that professional artists spend in the studio, they travel to art shows in all different areas, demonstrating and promoting their work. Laguna Beach-based painter Cynthia Britain and painter Zenaida Mott from Marin had met each other at various shows all up and down California, and over the years both women agreed that it would be great to bring the women together from the shows to get to know each other, paint, and have fun. It was only finally in the start of 2007 that the women settled on the following year and actually got the wheels turning. »
Once the artists were chosen, the first place that came to mind was Yosemite, both for its nostalgia and grandeur, and its central location.
Robin Knowlton, owner of the Knowlton Gallery, was pleasantly surprised when one of her resident artists, Peggi Kroll-Roberts, also one of the women included in the Yosemite trip, inquired about Knowlton’s interest in hosting the show in her Lodi gallery. “Some of the names I was familiar with their work, but hadn’t met them,” says Knowlton. “But these are some of the top female artists from all over the West. There aren’t very many opportunities to see them show their work all in one place.” Knowlton did add two pastel artists and a watercolorist to the list of oil painters to round out the show.
Knowlton explains that the benefits of the collaboration among the women is twofold, both to paint Yosemite, and to meet each other and swap information—questions like where someone got a certain piece of equipment, or where each has been showing their work successfully.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that plein air painters are always sitting in the sunshine, however. “These artists paint outside all the time,” says Knowlton. “So they are used to everything; wind, rain—outdoor painters are not sissies.” In the week the Knowlton Gallery exhibition’s women were in Yosemite, the weather shifted from 100 degrees to snowfall within the course of one week.
It’s also difficult to capture a landscape so classically awe-inspiring, and do it full justice, another challenge for plein air painters. In Yosemite, this was particularly tricky for the women, many who had spectacular memories of the landscape from their childhood or beyond. “You remember Yosemite as this beautiful place,” says Knowlton. “And I don’t care how many times you’ve gone there, your jaw still drops. It’s very hard for an artist to paint something that beautiful.”
“It’s really interesting to see how professional artists all interpret the same thing,” she adds. “As I was biking around when I was with the women the first couple days in Yosemite, some wanted to paint the rocks and the water, some wanted to paint the proverbial Yosemite Falls. Peggi [Kroll-Roberts] painted owls. Everyone has the same subject, but how are they interpreting that?”
Knowlton says that since she has released information about the Yosemite show, she has gotten an overwhelming response. “A lot of people in this area have very strong connections to Yosemite. I just think it’s almost a mythical place. Everyone has some sort of connection to it, has been there as a kid, and wants to go back.”
The “Yosemite on Canvas” artists include Anita Hampton, Debra Huse, and Cynthia Britain from Southern California; Kathleen Dunphy, Peggi Kroll-Roberts, Jeanette Le Grue, Terri Ford, Kim Lordier, Carolyn Lord, Camille Przewodek, and Zenaida Mott from Northern California; Kate Starling from Utah; and Jean LeGassick from Nevada. Knowlton will be posting all the images on the gallery’s website previous to the show. SJM
For more information: “Yosemite on Canvas: 13 Western Artists Paint the Park,” September 29-October 29. Knowlton Gallery, 115 S. School St., Ste. 14, Lodi, (209)368-5123, www.knowltongallery.com.
