Gwen Meyer Pentecost - Maynard Dixon Ranch

Home-Land - by Maynard Dixon The mighty West looms vast before my sight, Bright in the mystery of sun and sky, mesa and plain, the desert and the sown, the scar-faced mountains and the blinding snows, the deathless blue and soaring angel clouds; and on its farthest rim I see my soul arise, broad-winged, and free, and beckon me.

Plein air artwork from a wonderful trip to the Maynard Dixon Ranch, in Mount Carmel, Utah, with Martha Saudek. Will be painting from that trip for some time to come! The Thunderbird Foundation, dedicated to the memory of Maynard Dixon, sometimes allows artists to stay at the ranch. Its a wonderful opportunity! Southern Utah is drop-dead gorgeous, with pictures at every turn in some areas, and vast, desolate, sere reaches in others. It has a lot of room for the soul.


Dawn Behind the Bunkhouse, 8" x 10"
One morning I hopped out of bed early, pulled jeans on under my nightie, threw on a sweatshirt, and raced to capture some of the dawn light advancing down the hill behind the bunkhouse. I must have been a sight, my hair sticking up straight, the nightie and the jeans, but I couldn't have cared less.
Then, twenty minutes later,

Morning Advances, 8" x 10"


Dixon's Ditch, 9" x 12"
Above is the irrigation ditch that passes through the Ranch. I struggled with it - gorgeous morning light, backlit leaves and all that texture, are more difficult than they appear. After seeing the LA Art Show, and the Bingham's exhibit, I notice I have company. Its a hard subject, but it also defines part of the experience of the Ranch, as one must cross over footbridges of varying widths and stability to go between the Bunkhouse and the rest of the ranch, including the bathroom. I notice none of the other artists' renditions changed the ditch into an easier shape, either. As Mrs. Bingham noted, "Everyone does the ditch." Its a good group to be part of.


Promontory, Utah, 12" x 16"

This promontory is actually visible from the hill behind the ranch...where an entire armada of these magnificent monuments sail grandly in formation to the south. This view is of the foremost promontory, off of a utility road paralleling the highway, where I could paint the sunset colors in peace. I believe the promontory is called "Diana's Throne." The entire area has this beautiful coral pink sand. See below for paintings from the nearby state park.


Coral Pink Dunes" 12" x 18"


"Zion" - 9" x 12"


Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, 5" x 7"