Come see artists painting in the “Shangri-La of the Southwest” when the Sedona Arts Center hosts the 15th annual Sedona Plein Air Festival, Saturday through Saturday, Oct. 12 through 19. Sedona is a sublime environment with stunning beauty and the Sedona Arts Center has roots going back 60 years to the founding of Sedona’s identity as an art colony.

The Sedona Plein Air Festival takes place during the best weather period of the year at the height of tourist season and is supported by a group of very experienced and enthusiastic staff, volunteers and sponsors.

Events

► An opening reception will be held Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. Come and meet the artists and enjoy their exhibition of finished studio and plein air works that they were invited to bring along with them. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served at this event, which is free and open to the public.

►On Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Ann Fox Ryan of Gamblin Artist’s Colors will present a free talk, Understanding Contemporary Oil Painting Materials, an in-depth history of color space and the evolution of artists’ materials. The talk includes the development and use of various palettes as well as an overview of mediums and varnishes. Some samples are available. Registration is recommended for this free event.

►On Sunday, Oct. 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., join Ryan for an afternoon of plein air painting on the Sedona Arts Center Campus. Paint and painting panels are generously provided by Gamblin Artist’s Colors and Ampersand Art Supply. Cost is $50; registration is required.

►Morning and evening demonstrations will be offered Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 14 and 15, at the Arts Center Campus. Learn a process from start to finish in various media from festival artists. Specific artists and demonstration times will be announced. This event is free and open to the public.

►Creekside Paint Out, located at L’Auberge de Sedona resort, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon. Invited festival artists will be painting along the creek near the resort. Red Rock Magic Trolley provides service from the Arts Center lower parking lot, bringing artists and the public to and from the resort from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A final gathering of work on-site at noon will be available for sale and awards will be presented. This event is free and open to the public.

►On Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m., Dave Santillanes will give the keynote educa¬tional digital presentation and talk about his development as a plein air painter and the adventures that he has taken to keep it fresh and bring his work to its highest level. A wine and treats reception will follow. This event is free and open to the public.

Invited festival artists will have unob¬structed views of the red rocks as they paint in the late afternoon light at the Mariposa Paint Out on Thursday, Oct. 17, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. A shuttle will be provided from nearby parking.

Tapas and wine by chef Lisa Dahl and Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill will be served for the final hour-long reception. Tickets are $55 per person and $100 per couple. There will be an awards presentation on the Starfire Patio at 4:30 p.m.

►On Friday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., join in the last session of Dave Santillanes’ three-and-a-half-day workshop. This half-day demonstration takes attendees through his studio process as Santillanes works up a larger painting from a plein air study. This demonstration will be an overview of the painting process; a learning experience for collectors and painters alike, and include a stand-alone demonstra¬tion as well as a culmination of the workshop for attending students. Cost is $50; registration required.

►The festival’s grande finale will be Friday, Oct. 18, from 5 to 8 p.m. for the Plein Air Party and Awards. In addition to food and wine, there will be sales and awards. Artists have chosen three of their festival works to present in the Special Exhibition Gallery for awards consideration, including $5,000 for Best of Show. The adjacent Theatre Studio will house all the other works that artists have created during the week. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served at this event which is free and open to the public.

►Main Street Paint Out will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Also on Saturday, Oct. 19, there will be the Plein Air Cookout and final festival sales from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Have lunch with a favorite Festival Artist. Enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and all the condiments and fixings, and purchase works until final sales at 2 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Workshops

In addition, there will be plein air and landscape painting workshops offered throughout the week at the Sedona Arts Center.

►Dave Santillanes’ Source to Studio workshop will be held Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 15 through 18. This workshop involves painting on-site in the Sedona landscape with an emphasis on capturing atmosphere and depth in your work. His land¬scape painting workshops are designed for all levels of ability and focus on concepts and tech¬niques derived from years of plein air painting. Participants should anticipate and be prepared to paint in plein air, at various Sedona locations with a back-up studio available at the Arts Center when¬ever needed for critique, storage or inclement weather.

►James McGrew will offer Plein Air Impressionism on Saturday through Monday, Oct. 19 through 21. One of the greatest struggles of landscape painters is to convey, in small scale, the grandeur of a dramatic landscape. Learn 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, color, as well as practices for traveling with materials while eliminating a dangerous impact on health and the environment. Plein air painters from beginner to expert will discover new perspectives and ideas.

►Betty Carr will present Sedona Fall Colors on Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 21 through 23. Learn to capture the beauty of light in this three-day workshop. Carr teaches students to accurately portray the effect of light on any subject in water¬color or oil. Students can work in either watercolor or oils and will explore a variety of locations in beautiful Sedona. The materials list includes both watercolor and oil — students can choose which medium they would like to work in.

►Bill Cramer will offer an intense two-day workshop, Sedona Plein Air Painting, on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26 and 27. This workshop involves painting on-site in the Sedona landscape. Learn the advantages of plein air painting, as well as the various approaches to working on-site and how to efficiently compose and complete plein air paintings. Emphasis will be placed on how to effectively translate the often complex three-dimensional landscape onto a two-dimensional plane using thumbnail sketches, limited palettes and the thoughtful use of colors, values, shapes, edges and textures. Students of all abilities are welcome; however, students should have a basic familiarity with the painting medium of their choice.

►Gretchen Lopez will offer a field expedition, A Painting Adventure in Mexico, Monday through Saturday, Nov. 4 through 9. At the boutique hotel, La Casa de Espíritus Alegres in Guanajuato, Mexico, the group will paint markets and plazas, the ruins of rock walls and arches at Mellado, and visit nearby San Miguel de Allende. Lopez will demonstrate and provide one-on-one teaching during the four-day painting workshop. Ground trans¬portation will be provided to all painting locations along with a guide and translator.

Lopez combines traditional as well as contemporary elements in her works, from the figurative to still life to plein air painting. She teaches classes and workshops at the Sedona Arts Center and leads international workshops. Her works are included in numerous private collections both nationally and internationally and can be seen in select galleries throughout the Southwest.

Sedona Arts Center

Sedona Arts Center, located at 15 Art Barn Road, 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. Call the gallery at 282-3865, the administra¬tive offices at 282-3809 or visit SedonaArtsCenter.org for more information.