Back from Artists' Boot Camp!



"Morning at the Camp"

 I am back from Bill Cone's pastel plein air workshop in the Sierra Buttes area.  It was a LOT of fun, a LOT of work, and the group of artists a GREAT bunch - not to mention Bill himself!  We were such a fun group that a few members of a different study group (the Spiders of the Sierras!) hung out with us at mealtimes.

Bill demonstrated on the days that we were in wide open spaces where 14 people could gather around.  Other times the terrain did not allow many people to watch him work, so many of us did our own paintings nearby and when Bill was done he made rounds giving us pointers.  Each night we had an informal critique, and many evenings he had slide shows and lectures. 

We all were so appreciative of his giving us a week of his vacation time from his full-time job, to give us instruction and guidance.

Most of us artists stayed at the campus "camp", staying in tents, and eating meals prepared by the staff in the dining hall.  We had no visiting bears, but we were warned not to have food in our tent.  One night I SWORE there was a bear outside our tent, scuffling around, but it turned out to be my tent-buddy, my artist friend Ida, searching for her flashlite!