Art Retreat in Estes Park - DAY TWO

Beautiful morning in Estes Park, as we started the second day of the art retreat!

After a yoga session on the patio, and coffee & breakfast, we all met on the covered deck, for our Morning Gathering . . . 

After giving out the sketchbook assignments for the day, I talked about and did a demo of continuous contour line drawing with a pen . . . 

They all were glad to have some time to work in their sketchbooks and hunt for color references . . . 

Finished paintings from last night's Painting Game

Setting up the Art Studio for the day's projects.

It would be a day of Beginnings -- the first glazes and Inner Circle painting of the Color Wheel Mandala, the dark underpainting on the Aquabord, and a textured mingling underpainting on paper (to be used for contour line drawings later.)

We started the Color Wheel mandala with a wet-on-dry Yellow wash, on three of the sections . . . 

The next wash is a Rose, applied wet-on-dry to three of the sections.  One of the sections is already Yellow, so the transparent Rose glaze on top, turns that section Orange.

And, finally -- the light Blue wash over three of the sections.

Time for our lunch break!  Yummy AND healthy!

After lunch, we headed back out to the Art Studio, where we painted the Inner Circle of the Mandala -- negative painting a radial floral design . . . 

We wrapped up the painting session around 4, and brought our paintings inside to dry and be ready for tomorrow.  Then, it was Free Time from 4 - 7.

We met back on the Covered Deck at 7 pm, for wine and snacks . . . 

The evening's activity proved to be everyone's favorite, and was such a great way to get to know one another a little better -- Cheri's "Purple & Plaid" Clothing Memory Activity.

Another busy, but wonderful, day!

Art Retreat in Estes Park -- DAY ONE

Great turnout for our first Painted Prism Art Retreat in Estes Park -- July 14-17, 2016!

Pat Howard and Linda Laing

At check-in, each participant received a tote bag, filled with sketchbook, pencil, pen, glue stick, agenda for the weekend, a map of the estate, and a bottle of water!

People started arriving around 3 pm . . . 

Susan, Diane, Gina, & Cristy

Didn't take long for people to start gathering and mingling on the covered deck, with its breathtaking view of Longs Peak and the Rocky Mountains.

Cheri Thurston

Susan and Pat

   

Some samples of Pat's, Cheri's, and Zach's work.

After everyone had arrived,  we got things started with a Welcome Reception, with introductions, overview of the retreat, and some insight into the place where we were staying for four days.

My good friends, Marcy Pryor and Carol Cure, from Durango, showed up with an amazing meal, and some appetizers, for everyone!  

Cheri, helping with the deviled eggs

After the meal, we got the retreat off to a fast start, with a "Musical Chairs" Painting Game, in the Art Studio --

Can you see the skepticism on their faces?

Everyone got a small palette of watercolor pigments, one brush, one reference, one small square of Aquabord, and a container of water.

Pat, explaining the game.

Okay!  Time to start painting!  

After 10 minutes, everyone put down her brush, got up, moved to her right, sat down again, picked up that brush, and started painting on that painting.

We took a break after a few 10-minute painting intervals.  So, at this point, everyone had painted on about 4 paintings.

Everyone was having so much fun, that they forgot to be skeptical.

Time to paint again . . . So, everyone grabbed a seat at a new painting.

After a few more 10-minute painting intervals, changing seats in between each one, everyone was asked to finish the painting that was in front of her.

What a great start to our Art Retreat -- excited for Day Two!

Thanks to my son, Zach, for being the photographer for our retreat -- and for all the other things he helped with!