My overview of the Bill Cone Workshop in the Sierra's

I can not believe the week long workshop is over.  It was just wonderful, and we kept very busy from the first day clear up to the last day.  We camped at the Sierra  Nevada Field Campus which is very near Sierra City, Ca, and on the Yuba Mt. elevation is about 5600, and 6,700 at the pass.  Days were very nice, and the evenings cooled down pleasantly. There was a dinning room which had college girls doing the cooking for all, 14 in Bill's "Pastel and the Natural Light " group as well as a group studying spiders!!  Everyone seems quite educated and serious about their chosen interests.  Bill arrives with wine and cheese, and we all talked and got to know one another a bit before dinner, after dinner we all went to Lower Sardine Lake, which is about 20 min. from the Field campus.   A bunch of  the students, and Bill, got busy painting.  I was just soaking it all in, it was wonderful!!!

               Above is how the lake looks in real life, with the last of the sun's rays hitting is as it went down (the sun)      And here is Bill's first painting of the workshop.  To me it was like watching magic as he painted the light - - -and let that define the forms he was looking at.   I knew I was in for a lot to learn from this amazing artist!!    I really felt out of my comfort zone----then I thought,  "What comfort zone?"   I am still a bit new to this medium anyhow, so really, I just need to watch, listen, and learn!!  Then go and paint more.

This was a demo Bill did for us  at the camp that first morning, before we went any where--He was talking about the light and values to show that light.                                             

     After this first night, the next morning arrived with breakfast at 7 sharp!   How nice just to get up, and get ready to learn about painting the light en plein-air?  We got our things together after breakfast, and drove a short distance to a meadow which had a good view of the Sierra Buttes in daylight, being hit by the sun from the east.  We all  painted here in the a.m, with Bill coming to each easel and offering his help.  It was wonderful.

Here is Carolyn Thompson, who shared a tent with me the week we were there.  She worked hard and did quite a few nice paintings during the week

And here is a shot of the Buettes themselves in this light.. 

I think I will stop here, I have so much more to share and say.   It was a very busy week, with some wonderful people so I can't leave to much out!!  I still am thinking about each little faccet , and love day-dreaming about it - - -- but now must go fix supper!!   so more at my next post.

(Carolyn is over here)