Ryan Brown Workshop

Before I talk about the very talented Ryan Brown in the next few posts, I must confess that I originally wrote these in a way that was pretty unflattering towards myself, although they were very honest.  I spent a lot of time discussing what and how to post about this workshop with my family; most of whom did not want me to post them (someone even pulled out the big gun, “Grandma would not have liked it.” 🙁 …It’s true she would have had a conniption.)  Soooo after months of sitting on these posts and rewriting them a million times, I’ve decided to spare you some of the more…personal details.  Here’s the first one.

Ryan Brown is a wonderful painter and an interesting and inspiring man. After seeing the painting above for the first time I knew I needed to take a workshop with him.  I contacted him in the spring, but he wasn’t sure he would have the time to do another workshop any time soon because he was so busy.  We emailed a few times throughout the summer, and finally he wrote and said it was too late for him to put a workshop together before the end of the year, but I could be my own workshop and just come out to his studio in Utah and paint with him for a week.  He was doing some plein air painting on Wardsworth Trail.  Of course I agreed, and we picked a date.

“High Falls, Adirondacks, New York” 9 x 12 inches oil – 2011 – Collection of Ann Kraft Walker by Ryan Brown

Ryan Brown plein air painting

We had spoken several times through email and on the phone.  He cautiously mentioned that we were going to be hiking up a mountain trail and wondered whether I would be OK with it.  He told me it was a walk-up mountain so I didn’t worry.  However, when we spoke on the phone 2 days before I was to leave, he said, “of course there will be no facilities on the mountain.”  UGGGH I had not even thought of this.  Panic!  I was confident I could do the hiking, but I was worried about how to deal with the lack of facilities.  I had not thought this through; the only so called plein air painting I had ever done in my life was in Jeremy Lipkings workshop in Sweden and that was just outside our hotel in the park–not exactly roughing it.  Needless to say, I had no idea what to expect.

A Painter’s Inspiration 72″ x 84″ by Ryan Brown