Red Rock Canyon painting class draws from nature to inspire creations

Talk about a no-stress painting class. To participate in the class at Red Rock Canyon, one doesn't have to possess the skills of Rembrandt, need to know the rules of perspective or even have picked up a paintbrush before.

The Red Rock Interpretive Association hosts a free painting class twice a month at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Visitor Center. It is taught by Jenny Lindsay, although "taught" is a relative term. She uses her fine arts degree from Roanoke College to introduce students to a certain style of painting, then lets them mine deep into their creative veins to come up with their own creations.

"Most people here have plenty of creativity," Lindsay said. "They just need to tap into it."

Even the subject need not be something they were introduced to in class. So, too, is the pace at which one works.

For this class, on Jan. 24, Lindsay used German expressionist painter Franz Marc as the inspiration. Marc was known for his angular renditions of animals and color connections ---- blue was a male color, and yellow, female.

Lindsay started with a two-minute exercise: Use a ruler to draw a dog. The premise was not to use any curved lines.

"It inspires free thinking," Lindsay said of the task.

That done, everyone got to work on their projects. There were five students, spaced around tables in a U shape. The work spaces were covered with vinyl cloths. Those prone to making messes wore aprons. At the front of the area, another draped table held a rainbow of paint colors, all in a line. Students dabbed a dollop onto their paper plate palettes, making for an easy cleanup.

Similarly, the medium was acrylic paint, which dries quickly and can easily be painted over should results be unsatisfactory.

Some of the students were starting on new paintings. Others worked on ones they'd begun in previous weeks.

Participant Mary Stire was working on a painting of a ring-tailed cat.

"Just the scenery as you drive up, that alone is worth the drive here," she said. "It stimulates my creativity."

Masayo Taylor of Sun City Summerlin used a portable easel. She'd brought out a work in progress, Fish Bait. It was a close up of a grasshopper against bright green foliage.

Taylor said she'd never painted before joining the class about a year ago. Now, she's so into art she takes her work home and paints there, too. A host of Bureau of Land Management employees and volunteers came over to comment in awe at her work. Tourists slowed their pace to watch the class as it progressed.

"I took a couple classes with you, but that was a while ago," Valerie Sperry, who volunteers at Red Rock Canyon, told Taylor. "You've come a long way."

John Blackwell went high-tech and used his iPad, displaying a photo of petroglyphs from Gold Butte, about an hour and a half north of Las Vegas. He used it as his reference. When he wanted to see an area in greater detail, he spread his fingers on the touch screen to enlarge a section at a time.

"See the differences between this printout and the screen?" he said. "The printout doesn't have the colors (correct)." He pointed to the iPad ---- "This has millions of colors."

Tawni Christensen is an emergency room doctor who likes to paint furry animals, a nod to her former profession as a veterinary technician.

"I paint for the stress management," she said.

The class is offered from 9 a.m. to noon on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. No experience is necessary, and all supplies are included. The class is intended for those 15 or older. Space is limited.

For more information or to register, call 515-5367. Entry into the recreation area is $7. There is no fee for the class.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.