Zion Plein Air Invitational painters lecture in Springdale
By Michael Plyler
Zoe Keller, Bill Cramer, and Dr. James Swensen will deliver lectures Nov. 6–8 as part of the 10th annual Zion Plein Air Invitational.
On Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m., graphite artist Zoe Keller will do a slide-illustrated lecture at the Canyon Community Center of her exquisite drawings and discuss her work and time here in Zion as the current artist-in-residence. Her highly detailed drawings have been shown in galleries across the country, and two of her drawings were added to the permanent collection of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in 2016. The Canyon Community Center is located at 126 Lion Blvd.
“I create large-scale, highly-detailed graphite drawings that combine the traditions of scientific illustration with contemporary narratives about the natural world,” Keller said. “My images are woven with stories meant to inspire and inform with a special focus on imperiled species and ecosystems.”
On Nov. 7 at 7 p.m., featured artist Bill Cramer will present a slide-illustrated lecture of his work at Springhill Suites and describe his creative process. Cramer has been a frequent participant in the Zion Plein Air Invitational through the years, and we are honored and excited to feature him and his work this year. Light refreshments will be served at 6:30. Springhill Suites is located at 1141 Canyon Springs Rd.
“I truly enjoy the essential act of laying down paint, especially on location,” Cramer said. “I look for a balance between the actual scene and my reaction to it, not to paint precisely what I see but to paint what I want the viewer to see.”
On Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m., Dr. James Swensen, associate professor of art history and the history of photography at Brigham Young University, will present “Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange in Southern Utah: Collaborators, Competitors, Best Friends and Enemies” at the Canyon Community Center.
In 1953, two of America’s most important photographers came to southwestern Utah to create a story for Life magazine. Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange had been to the region before and knew its rugged landscape and people well. Their collaboration focused on the towns of Toquerville, Gunlock, and St. George. Swensen’s presentation will explore the ways in which their work provides a window into the lives of two of the 20th Century’s most important photographers as well as the communities they documented. Moreover, it will investigate the reasons why a project that once held such promise ended in disillusionment but deserves to be recognized.
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