Moab Happenings Archive
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GALLERY HAPPENINGS July 2017

Gallery Moab: Guest Artists: Painting for Fun and Frolic
by Lowrey Mumford

Who: Bruni Mason, Lowrey Mumford and Rani Derasary;Bruni Mason

Toolkit, developed over 4 years: 70 paint brushes, 7 paint palettes, multiple erasers and pencils, untold pads of paper, salt, masking fluid, palette knives, saran wrap, sponges, nature guides, free online art videos;

Fuel source: Home cooking, chocolate and coffee in all forms, and possibly a few mixed drinks at the end of the day;

Support team: 2 spouses, 4 moms, 1 sister, 1 roommate, 4 dogs, 1 cat, our online fan base, and numerous sturdy chairs;

Thanks to: MARC and Gallery Moab for offering art classes, and Back of Beyond Books for selling art supplies locally.

Lowrey MumfordIn 2013, three Moab residents succumbed to years - some might say decades - of procrastination, to finally fulfill a yearning to express themselves artistically, exploring the world of watercolor painting. At the helm was fearless leader Bruni Mason, a textile designer by trade, who – brace yourselves – had actually taken art classes. Beginners Lowrey Mumford and Rani Derasary shamelessly took advantage of the tutelage of Mason, who did her patient best to teach them the rudimentary principles of painting. Many is the time Mason advised them to redo a painting as a learning exercise, or to – shock and horrors – actually study drawing concepts such as perspective or “values.” Sometimes they listened, more often they did not. Saint Bruni stuck with them; we don’t know why, perhaps it was the snacks.

Bruni had one basic rule: None of the three may criticize their own work; a challenge for recovering perfectionists. Miraculously, over four years later, the friends are still gathering to paint together, sometimes indoors, sometimes “en plein air” (outdoors). They all find pleasure in the art of filling a blank piece of paper with watercolor, and are (somewhat) accepting of the imperfections of the results. Subject matter is up to the individual painter, but they share an interest in nature, and especially the landscapes, plants, and critters of the Western US. Rani Derasary

Their work varies from more realistic, to more stylized, abstract and/or whimsical. They’ve tackled the same topic on several occasions, including a triptych of elephants, which adorns Lowrey’s office. This show’s collection may have a whimsical triptych—we’ll see! These diverse friends hope you enjoy perusing their creations and you feel the love and humor with which they were created. Finally, if they inspire just one of you to try painting, they’ll feel successful!

Lowrey wishes to donate any proceeds from the sale of her work to the American Lurcher Rescue Project, ALP, in memory of her beloved Lurcher, “Piglet.”

Gallery Moab is a co-op gallery located at 87 North Main Street and is open 7 days a week from 12-9 pm. A reception will be held for the artists on Saturday, July 22, from 6-9 pm. Stop in to meet them, be inspired, and partake of light refreshments.

See more of us at gallerymoab.com and on Facebook.

And be sure to mention you heard about it in the Moab Happenings.


Artist In The Park: Anthony Lott
Anthony LottBorn in Salt Lake City, Utah, Anthony Lott spent college weekends backpacking in southeastern Utah canyons, taking countless photos, and using them to paint landscapes back home. He and his family now live in the small town of Bluff, and he teaches drawing, painting, ceramics, art appreciation, and emergency medical response at the Blanding campus of Utah State University

He speaks of his desert home in colorful images: “The dry sandstone is as climbable as Velcro... Water shapes the landscape through the violence of summer thunderstorms. Dry washes become temporary rivers that scour the sides of canyons with rocks, trees, and silt, and this turbulence is recorded by the stone and sand as it subsides. More often, however, it is stillness that defines the life that grows here.”

Anthony captures this dance of stillness and life in figure paintings and landscapes, using acrylic and oils.

Created in 2009, the Community Artist in the Parks program fosters inspiration and appreciation of the landscape among visitors by giving them the unique opportunity to watch local artists translate the scenery of the parks into a work of art.

JULY 21
Natural Bridges National Monument
Visitor Center 10:30am - 1:30 pm
Sipapu Bridge 2 pm - 5 pm
JULY 22
Natural Bridges National Monument
Horse Collar Overlook 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Owachamo Bridge 12 Noon - 3 pm
JULY 27
Canyonlands National Park
Island in the Sky
Visitor Center 1 pm - 4 pm
Mesa Arch 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
JULY 28
Canyonlands National Park
Island in the Sky
Grand View Point Overlook 7 am - 10 am
Visitor Center 11 am - 2 pm

Wilderness Photographer Chad Dutson
featured at Dead Horse Point State Park

Chad Dutson - CrescentWilderness photographer Chad Dutson returns to the Bighorn Gallery at Dead Horse Point State Park with another compelling exhibit, Desert Whispers. The exhibit will be on display July 2nd through September 3rd in the lower level of the visitor center. An artist reception will be held on Sunday, July 2nd between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The exhibit features diverse perspectives of landscapes in the Desert Southwest in thirty-six images, most of them being released to the public for the first time. Dutson states, “I am excited to return to Bighorn Gallery, particularly to have the opportunity to release such a wide array of new desert imagery.”

Dutson is a Utah and Alaska-based wilderness photographer who has a profound admiration for nature. He carries a zeal for photographic adventure and an insatiable desire to wander the wild. Dutson states, “The solitude one experiences in the wilderness is what draws me away from city life.” His passion for art pushes him to extremes. “I have been stung by a scorpion, nearly stepped on a rattlesnake, experienced hypothermia, and endured hours in a close-proximity lightning storm,” he says, “all to capture the right shot.” Dutson’s artistic desire is for others to elevate their love for nature.

Cha Dutson - SoarDutson philosophizes that “quality photographic moments require three elements: the right experience, the right tools, and the right moment.” He readily admits “the right moment is often nothing more than good luck.” He indicates, “Some say they lose themselves in one thing or another; however I find myself through photography, losing only the sense of time.”

Dutson conducts private and group workshops and has been published in the USA Today and Popular Photography. He was first featured in the Bighorn Gallery in 2014.

Learn more about the artist at www.chaddutson.com. During the exhibition, Dutson’s images and prints will be available for purchase.

Dead Horse Point is located nine miles north of Moab on US 191, and 23 miles south on SR313. The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Park admission is $15 per vehicle for three days. For more information, please contact the park at (435) 259-2614.


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