Award winning artist James McGrew is teaching a special 2 1/2-day workshop directly following his participation in the 15th annual Sedona Plein Air Festival (Oct. 12 to 19) The final event of the Sedona Plein Air Festival is the Main Street paint-out on Saturday morning Oct. 19. McGrew’s workshop begins at 3 pm on the 19th for an evening session, and is followed by two more full days of painting and learning on Oct. 20 and 21.

One of the greatest struggles of landscape painters is to convey in small scale the grandeur of a dramatic landscape. McGrew teaches students how to interpret such scenes and create illusions of depth, three dimensionality and scale with strategic details to make a scene come to life.

The workshop will cover: composition, design and color. Plein air painters from beginner to expert will discover new perspectives and ideas. McGrew paints in his own impressionistic style, influenced by his love and understanding of nature.

The workshop will include demonstrations, group hands on painting sessions, one on one assistance as well as discussion and critique. McGrew is an engaging speaker with extensive experience teaching and working as an interpretive naturalist with an ability to convey complex scientific concepts in an entertaining manner. Join the workshop to learn how to create a visual representation of the uniquely beautiful Sedona landscape, but also convey the emotional impact of a first-hand experience of painting on location.

McGrew first backpacked in Yosemite at just 4 months old and subsequent family camping/backpacking trips inspired an early interest in art and nature as he was constantly drawing and painting. He began using pastels at age 8 and his father’s oils at 10.

Today he is best known for his oil paintings interpreting western National Parks. A strong background in natural sciences with degrees in biology, chemistry and geology and grad work for M.S. in environmental education help McGrew understand his natural subjects as well as to carry on the tradition of 19th century artists whose images helped to establish the first national parks. He also lends his art background to his work as a summer seasonal Yosemite ranger/naturalist for the past 21 summers. His primary objective in painting is to help inspire love and protection of our national parks and environment as a whole.

McGrew prefers to paint direct from life and often works up to about 30×40 en plein air. However, he creates his most refined and largest paintings in the studio from his plein air references. He hikes or backpacks several hundred miles a year, looking for unique perspectives and a deeper connection with nature. He works to create paintings which not only visually portray a scene, but convey the emotions of the actual experience.

McGrew’s paintings hang in collections around the world and have shown in numerous solo shows, national and international exhibitions and plein air invitationals, receiving many awards including best of show at Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, the Zion Foundation Award (top honor and commission for the painting used for all of the following year’s marketing of Zion Plein Air Invitational), and 5 consecutive People’s Choice Awards at Grand Canyon and 3 consecutive years at Zion. He is an artist member of the California Art Club and a signature member of both the American Impressionist Society and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.

His work has been featured in articles of Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, and Western Art Collector. He has presented as a keynote speaker at numerous art and science conferences and presented on stage and as a field painter at Plein Air Convention, 2016, Tucson.

When teaching workshops, McGrew interweaves art and science in an entertaining manner easy to understand and he has volunteered countless hours teaching art history in elementary through high schools.

“I strive to interpret nature with my brush, not just representing a visual scene, but more importantly, conveying the emotions I felt as influenced by the experience including weather and light, movement and energy. I want the viewer to feel those elements and emotions. I hope my works inspire others to love and protect our natural world and cherish our valuable human interrelationships with each other and the environment.”

McGrew has won numerous awards for his artwork including, most recently the 2018 People’s Choice award and Purchase award at the Zion Plein Air Art Invitational, 2018 Collector’s Choice and Judges Choice awards at the Sedona Plein Air Festival. In 2017 he was the “Featured Artist” at the Zion Plein Air Festival and won People’s choice award and record auction price at the ninth annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art.

His work has recently been featured in solo exhibitions at the Ansel Adams Gallery.

Sedona Arts Center is one of Northern Arizona’s most well-established cultural organizations and serves as the creative heart of Sedona. Founded in 1958, the nonprofit organization is based at the Art Barn in Uptown and offers year-round classes, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events that enhance the creative life of the Verde Valley. The Center’s Fine Art Gallery, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. promotes the original works of over 100 local artists and regularly offers special assistance for collectors and art buyers, offers private studio visits, and fosters hundreds of arts education opportunities each year. For more information, call the Gallery at 928-282-3865, the Administrative offices at 928-282-3809 or visit us online at SedonaArtsCenter.org.