Escalante Canyons Art Festival

Schedule Of Events

9:00 am - 11:00 am - Suzanne Gibson: Plein Air and Alla Prima - Composition Light and Shadows

Escalante Town Park - Hands on Art Tent North 100 West, Escalante, UT, United States

Cost :$25 /  Minimum 5: Maximum of 20 / All ability levels

This Hands-on Art mini workshop will be taught in oil, but is adaptable to all mediums.  From thumbnail sketches, students will bring a composition to life!  Outdoor painting of a still life is an ideal exercise to become familiar and comfortable with the elements of plein air, and not have the objects get up and walk away (such as a cow or deer).

Suzanne works from a primary color palette and will sketch in pencil or direct thin paint washes, including "blocking in" and "underpainting," to details and final canvas.

Attendees will meet at the Hands-on Art Tent and then walk to a nearby location to position themselves to paint plein air.

Suzanne will provide sketchbooks and aqua pencils.

Attendees are encouraged to bring easel or board, chair, umbrella (if needed) sunscreen, snacks, paints, paper, canvas and choice of tools.

9:00 am - 1:00 pm - Constance Lynn: Medicine at our Feet

Meet at Escalante River (Bridge) Trailhead Escalante, Utah

Note :Minimum 3 / Maximum 13

Meet at the Escalante River Trailhead at the Bridge (Hwy 12).On this walk along the Escalante River we will open our awareness to the plants as our relatives and allies in healing and discover what it means to truly have medicine at our feet.
This will be an easy river walk with maybe a crossing or two. Please bring something to sit upon, water, sunhat.

Constance Lynn was born with a soul fire in her heart, a passion for healing and a love for wild nature…threads that have braided together in service of life. Herbalist, farmer, yoga teacher, soul guide, seed keeper, water guardian, community activist and nature mystic are names for the stars that create her constellation.

10:00 am - 12:00 pm - Wayne Geary: Natural Pigments Watercolor

Escalante Town Park Pavilion

Natural Pigments is a small, California-based art supply company that makes paints, mediums and other painting supplies that are of exceptional quality. The company uses naturally occurring materials for their pigments, and they are advocates for traditional painting practices going back to the Old Masters.

The demonstration will show the range and strength of Natural Pigments watercolors. Of special interest to artists, and others as well, is Natural Pigments amazing variety of earth colors, all perfectly suited for use while painting Southwestern landscapes.

10:00 am - 6:00 pm - Art Exhibit and Sale - Friday

Escalante Town Park - Exhibit Tent

The Art Exhibit and Sale is the highlight of the festival and showcases artwork submitted for the Plein Air, Studio Work, Nocturne, Miniature, Drawing and Junior Competitions.  The show typically includes more than 200 entries in oil, pastel, watercolor, and other mixed media, some of which have been produced during the days leading up to the show, by artists of all levels of experience.

10:00 am - 6:00 pm - David Hauze and Shannon Ullman

David Hauze and Shannon Ullmann offer a captivating blend of harmony and acoustic artistry. Their voices and instruments blend effortlessly, creating sounds that resonate with life. Their melodies are painted with influences drawn from the wisdom of nature, the insight of poets and the simple joy of sharing beauty with others. Each song is a brush-stroke of inspiration, filled with highlights of style, familiarity and light. Their eclectic variety of folk, rock and bluegrass selections will surely brighten your soul!

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Raymond King Shurtz: Short Fiction using Landscape Paintings

Escalante Town Park - Hands on Art Tent North 100 West, Escalante, UT, United States

Cost :$25 /  Minimum of 3 / Maximum of 12 / All ability levels
In this session, we will be using a plein air painting of your choice from the festival to write a short fiction story. The first hour we will talk about short fiction and choose the painting we will write from. The second hour we will write our story, integrating character, setting, conflict, plot and theme from our painting. The last hour we will read our stories and talk about the readings. This is a magical way to work!

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Keynote Speaker: Frederick Swanson

Escalante High School Auditorium

Before There Were Roads: Dave Rust’s Canyon Country Adventures Portrait of David D. Rust. David D. Rust Photographs PH2009, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

8:00 pm - 9:30 pm - Dr. Jackie Grant: Bats of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (Night Walk)

Meet at Escalante River (Bridge) Trailhead Escalante, Utah

Note :Limited to 12 people.
Did you know that at least 14 bat species make their home on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument? Bats navigate and find food with their very loud "shouts." Each type of bat has its own special shout, which, despite being very loud, is not heard by humans. However, we can use special microphones to hear the bats then identify each bat by the sound it makes. Join Dr. Grant to learn about the variety of bats in the area and maybe even record some as they fly overhead to look for their insect dinners.

9:00 am - Arts and Crafts Fair

Escalante Town Park
Artisans, artists and crafters from around the region come to Escalante each year to share their unique products with festival attendees. The Arts and Crafts Fair is great for finding regionally made items that have a story to tell about the area and those who live and work here. Jewelry, ceramics, photography, wooden crafts, fiber goods and an array of items can be found.

10:00 am - Quilt Exhibit

Escalante Community Center

Every quilt has a story. Visit the Quilt Exhibit and enjoy the art, workmanship, and history of these beautiful quilts.

Also on display are some of the Best of Show winning artwork from across the years since the festival began.