Imagine the cutest, tiniest prairie town. Population 112. With a tiny main street. A restaurant, but on its clapboard wooden siding is written MERCANTILE. A museum, a gazebo, an art gallery under a curved tin roof. Now, imagine artists painting outside, everywhere you look.
I’d never heard of Rosebud, Alberta. But the opportunity came to spend the weekend painting there, and I said YES. The town is home to an annual “paint out” where dozens of artists congregate to paint the town and surrounding landscape, and then show their work at the Sunday sale.
I convinced Courtney LeBaron to come with me – she’s spent the summer painting outdoors at least once a week. We both were a little uncertain about what the event would be like, and it ended up being such a fun time!
The community hall is home base for the weekend. It was always open and we artists could come and go as we liked – filling up water containers, having a snack (provided!), or just taking a minute.
The event is organized by local artist Valerie Speer. One of the great joys of the weekend was having a peek inside her studio and seeing her gorgeous paintings!
One thing that surprised me was the wind – Val had organized a trip out to a local farmer’s land, on a beautiful bluff overlooking the Rosebud River. Courtney and I tried valiantly to paint through the wind – which was so strong that I positioned my easel about two feet off the ground and sat down, but still I had to hold it with one hand to keep it from flying over. With that constant drone of sound, I just couldn’t – I looked over and asked “should we just call it?” and lucky for me Courtney agreed. We left and headed back into town, and painted at the picnic tables under the gazebo. SO much better.
On the third day, I wandered down a gravel rail trail past an old golf course. I found myself in a stunning landscape that felt very “old west” with sandy cliffs catching the morning light. I like feeling that I’ve earned a painting by getting there with my own feet, so this was a welcome little trek after spending the weekend painting near the car.
Another magical discovery was Flocks – I can’t even believe how cute and soulful and theatrical this café felt. Owned by a painter and a singer, this place was like something from a movie. They have lattes, wine, cocktails, and little snacks served with tiny golden forks.
As the weekend came to a close, we finally got to see all the brilliant work our fellow artists created during the Sunday show and sale. And wow, were we ever in fine company! A couple of my favourites were the little acrylic landscapes of Chris Flodberg, and the sensitive oil paintings of Theresa Williams (whose work I’ve admired for years). I also loved the Maynard Dixon-esque paintings of Craig Daniels.
Top left: Chris Flodberg. Lower left: Craig Daniels. Lower middle: Theresa Williams. Right: Sophie and Courtney!
All in all, the weekend was beautiful, the weather was perfect (other than that crazy wind!) and I’d definitely recommend the event.