A Beautiful Disaster - Classic Plein Air Mishap

I was heading east on Hwy 50 just outside of Gunnison when I saw a gorgeous scene with a nice stream and some tall stand alone trees. There wasn't much shoulder to pull off to, but I loved the view and was determined to paint it.

As I was there painting, Ralph Oberg stopped by to say hello, he was on his way to Denver for a show and we had a nice chat. Ralph is a great guy and a very fine artist.

The good times didn't last long though. Just as I finished painting the wind had started to freshen, and I turned to get my camera for a shot of the finished product. Right when I turned back, off the edge my panting went, blown over easel and all, straight into a shedding rabbit brush. I couldn't do much else but just laugh in disbelief.

Moving on, I drove through Salida I stumbled into James Gurney of Dinotopia fame and we had a great time trading stories and taking videos of each others work. What a pleasant surprise day, running into two great artists on the same day!