Plein Air for the Park" reception July 13 at GTNP Craig Thomas Center

Jennifer Hoffman, The Clouds Roll In, 12x12 inches

On Friday, July 13th, the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters (RMPAP) "Plein Air for the Park" Gala Opening Reception and Sale takes place at Grand Teton National Park’s (GTNP) Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitors Center (CTDVC) 7:00 - 9:00 pm, with presentations of artist awards at 7:45 pm. New works painted in the Park over the preceding two weeks will be exhibited; award-winning paintings will become part of GTNP's permanent collection. Forty percent of the proceeds from the sale of works at the show will benefit Grand Teton National park through the Grand Teton Association (GTA), the Park's supporter and provider of Park-related educational, interpretive and scientific materials and programs.

The show is open to the public during the CTDVC's regular business hours all day Saturday and until 4 PM on Sunday, and all works are for sale. GTA will have docents manning the gallery during those hours.

Plein Air for the Park" will hold a Quick Draw on Thursday, July 12th, at CTDVC, 4-6:00 pm--beneath a Tetons late afternoon summer sky. Free and open to the public, the Quick Draw will feature 32 of the event artists completing a painting, start-to-finish, in two hours. Paintings may be purchased at the Quick Draw, for fixed, full retail prices. Quick Draw works may also be included in the exhibition and sale taking place at CTDVC July 13th - 15th.

“We want to make sure that patrons attending the QD know that if they see a painting they like at the QD, they may purchase it,” says RMPAP President Steve Datz. “They can do this by flagging down a docent. The artist will advise them of the price and title, and will have a frame and wire ready for the finished painting. Patrons MUST be present to purchase QD works, and must take their new purchases with them at the conclusion of the QD. Since these will be wet paintings, we will not be able to store or ship them. The QD is a sale, as opposed to an auction.”

Datz notes that this entire show will be created during the 12 days prior to the opening.

“That’s about 130 paintings that didn’t exist on July 1,” he says. “That’s no small thing. In a way, you can look at that body of work as a "snapshot" of GTNP during that time. It's a cross section of all the various aspects of light, weather, landscape, and activity, whether wild or human, in the Park during that 10 day slice of time. I expect it will be quite a diverse and impressive exhibition, and I am hopeful that it will be as surprising as it is delightful.”

Jackson Hole artists Jennifer Hoffman, Erin O’Connor, Kathryn Mapes Turner, and Lee Riddell will all have works on display.

"My people, my tribe!" exclaims O'Connor. " This is a collection of the most talented artists I know, with both styles and humors running the gamut. Imagine the challenge: paint your own immersion in the Jackson Hole landscape, no matter the weather or circumstances, in a matter of days. Imagine the kind of people who can pull that off. They are dedicated, determined souls with astonishing skills and a willingness to let Mother Nature run them ragged. I've participated in the RMPAP national events for 10 years, and I've yet to decide which is best - the amazing artwork that is created in these wild places, or the wild laughter and camaraderie of the artists creating."

Hoffman notes that as long as there’s even been an idea for it, artists have been intimately involved in the creation and preservation of National Parks.

“I am honored to take part in this rich history and to be able to share my passion for art and nature in a way that will benefit a place that I love,” she says. “I think it will be a special experience for park visitors to see artists creating works on location from start to finish – it’s the kind of thing that becomes a lifetime memory.”

“In thinking back to the contributions of Thomas Moran, John Clymer and Conrad Schwiering, it is easy to see that here has been a long history of artists in this area,” says Turner. “Their art made a significant impact on our understanding of this place. Landscape artists have a special relationship with the land, so I see this event as a celebration of our magnificent valley.

Riddell views RMPAP's event as a celebration of the place she's called home for over 35 years. Always excited to see how artists interpret the Park and its surroundings, Riddell takes pleasure in understanding what moves artists and how their feelings are put into their paintings; she looks forward to meeting RMPAP's artists and taking part in her first Quick Draw.

"I am honored to be one of the 'invited guest artists' this summer, and am looking forward to painting with Jen, Kath, Erin and Greg, as well as friends who are RMPAP members not living in Jackson," Riddell says. "And, it will be fun to meet members I do not know yet. I learn so much from other painters!"

At Grand Teton Association: Jan Lynch - 307-739-3406

For more information log onto http://www.rmpap.org/, or contact RMPAP's Steve Datz: steved@acsol.net Phone: 970-640-1879. Grand Teton Assoc.: 307.739.3406