STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Kneeland Gallery’s stable of plein air artists have painted Hulen Meadows Pond before.

But on Wednesday it was as they were seeing it for the first time.

The pond north of Ketchum has filled with bedrock carried downstream from spring flooding. A horseshoe-shaped gravel bar ringed by water sits where they used to enjoy reflections.

“I’ve always liked painting from the other side because of the reflection I got there, but that’s gone so I’m trying this side, instead,” said John Horejs, who has taken part in Kneeland Gallery’s Plein Air Paint-In for all of its 26 years.

Nine artists took part in Kneeland Gallery’s paint-in around the pond on Wednesday. They will fan out around the valley today in search of subject matter. And on Friday they will congregate at noon in the Ketchum Town Square for a Quick Draw where each artist will be given an hour to start and finish a painting as spectators mill around.

They will show the fruits of their labors, as well as other works, from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at Kneeland Gallery during the August Gallery Walk.

Plein air painting, which involves painting the subject matter before you outside, is a strenuous form of painting, as artists have to lug their paints to that perfect spot, stand on their feet in 85-degree heat and paint in haste—before that thunderstorm rolls in.

It’s also a spectator sport.

Sun Valley artist Lori McNee loves meeting viewers who come from around the world, always asking the same question: How long does it take you to do a painting?

“Everyone has an art story,” she said. “Unfortunately, often it’s about how they had tried painting but someone discouraged them. One man told me how his college professor looked at his painting and said, ‘Very discouraging.’ But they still love art, and they enjoy seeing other people’s paintings.”

McNee taught beginning and established painters from Houston, Texas; Bellevue, Wash.; Missoula, Mont., Southern California and Idaho during a two-day workshop earlier this week at Murdock Creek and the Hulen Meadows Pond.

She started off teaching about the four planes—how the sky is the lightest of the subject material with  the ground second lightest. The mountains are darker still with trees being the darkest of all, Lori said.

“We say there are no rules in art. But there are some basics, one being the planes. Once you master those basics, you can break the rules,” she said.

In addition to the planes, McNee taught about the rule of thirds, which is derived from the “golden rectangle” the ancient Greeks used in their architecture. The rule encourages painters to set their horizon line either at the top third or the top of the bottom third of their painting, rather than the center. And it suggests that the picture will be more interesting of the subject matter is not smack dab in the middle.

“One of the toughest things to learn is how to mix paints—green in particular,” McNee said. “People mix together blue and yellow and it ends up looking too acidic. It doesn’t look real. You need to add some complementary colors, such as red, from the opposite side of the color wheel to make it look more like the color of leaves or pine needles.”

Keli Hansen, a workshop participant from Missoula, stopped by Wednesday morning to watch the professionals, who included Steven Lee Adams, Caleb Meyer, Ovanes Berberian, Jack Braman, Shanna Kunz, Robert Moore and Bart Walker.

“I took a huge leap from one day to the next under Lori. I learned that less is more—I unloaded half my pack and cut back on the number of brushes. I learned to see the colors in nature I hadn’t seen before—like the lavender tint to what’s out there. And I narrowed my focus using this viewfinder,” she said.

She held the grey card up to her eye. “It cuts out what my eye is struggling to cut out.”

McNee will soon head to Switzerland where she will hike from Italy to the Matterhorn, carrying her paint supplies in her pack so she can paint one painting a day en plein air.

But on Wednesday, Bart Walker was content to be at the Hulen Meadows Pond.

“It’s so peaceful just to be out here, relaxing. You get lost in your own little world,” the Teton Valley artist said. “I love Ketchum. It’s a fun place to visit and there’s no shortage of subject matter.”

Hansen agreed.

“We live in a beautiful place so there’s a wealth of subject matter. I’ve started traveling so I’ll be able to document what I see. And I’ve found I see more when sit long enough to paint.”