Lynn WiezyckiOur adventure to Green River Overlook started and ended in classrooms!
Early afternoon found us in a conference room at the hotel with a local teacher and artist, Bruce Hucko! He spent an hour or so teaching us about some of the geology of the Green River Overlook area we would be visiting. He drew what he was talking about and gave us paper and a pencil to draw what we were learning.
He then gave us a stretched canvas and a pencil as we were going to not only photograph our next location, we were going to paint it! He told us to find up to three of the geological formations and sketch 4 small vignettes on the back of the canvas then pick one to sketch on the front. That would be the basis for the painting we would do later.
We gathered our gear and headed to Canyonlands National Park and specifically the Green River Overlook. As we walked up to the official overlook, two things happened! We realized the wind was blowing at up to 40-50 MPH gusts and as we approached, Bruce said for those who had never been there, go to the edge first!
As I walked up to the barrier I was first hit by a gust of wind and then I looked out in front of me and my breath was taken away by what I was seeing! We were at over 6,000 feet looking down over miles of canyons! I was totally overwhelmed!!
Since it was so windy, I only used my Nikon Z7 and the Nikon Z 24-70mm lens, and my iPhone 14 Pro Max. We were not able to use tripods as the wind was blowing so hard they would just be blown over, so all images are handheld.
After making a few images and getting my breath back, Bruce gave us a quick plan of action and then we spread out to do our sketches. The geological formations were all right before us.
Here are the four sketches I made while trying to keep my canvas from blowing away!
I made a choice, sketched it on the front, and then decided it was time for photography! Since we were limited to about 100 yards of the cliff edge, I walked around to get some different views of the area.
There was a mesa off to the right and the late afternoon light was lighting up the red rock and the snow!
There were several twisted bristle cone pines along our cliff edge so I pulled back to include one in an image.
I kept getting pulled back to the actual Green River and the course it was taking through the canyons it had created!
Then I walked back to the left past the overlook barrier and looked for some interesting views.
I noticed that some of the others had walked over to the right way past where we started. As I got to the edge, I noticed that a person (not in our group) had walked way out and around and was standing out on a ledge overlooking the canyons!
From there I again was looking for some foreground subjects to include in my images. The bristle cone pines are so fascinating so I zoomed in on this one for a more intimate landscape!
As the light was getting darker, Colleen and Bruce decided that the sunset was not going to be good so we packed up to go. I took a last image of this intensely visual place!
As we walked back to the parking lot, I noticed this dried-up plant being backlit by the sun that had just come out from under the clouds!
We made a huge mistake leaving when we did, as the sky did this as we drove back across the plateau! But we had more sunsets to come!
We drove back to Moab, to the local elementary school where Bruce taught art! Colleen picked up some pizza and wine and we had a fun time eating, drinking, and painting at some very short tables and chairs! The best part was getting to pick the paint colors from the collection that had been created by one of Bruce’s amazing 3rd-grade students. The names she picked for her color creations were so much fun!
Here is my creation inspired by the breathtaking views I saw at the Green River Overlook!
I had always wanted to visit Moab so when I saw that Colleen’s Sheography workshop had gotten to do some painting while they were at Moab in 2022, I immediately signed up for the 2023 trip. This was such a wonderful change from always looking through the viewfinder at the landscape!
The Green River Overlook is a must-stop when you are in Moab! Late afternoon is the best lighting.
For larger versions of these and many more images please click on any of the landscape images or visit my gallery: Green River Overlook
My next post will be about our very early morning visit to The Windows area in Arches National Park.
That is all for now!
Lynn
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