Arts Council member and Lake County painter John Eells was recently accepted as a participant in an art retreat in Mt. Carmel, Utah. This four-day retreat is sponsored by the Thunderbird Foundation for modern day artists.
The foundation was formed by admirers of Maynard Dixon who wanted to preserve the bunkhouse home of Dixon, a major artist of the Southwest from 1875-1946. For much of his career, he was at home in San Francisco. As an illustrator he did covers for magazines, posters and illustrations for dozens of books. As an oil painter he did large murals of western scenes, some of which can still be seen in Sacramento and San Francisco.
But Dixon is best remembered as an oil painter of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah scenery and would frequently hire a buckboard and a team of horses and travel for two to three months through the Southwest deserts, camping and painting. During such travels, he became friends with many Native Americans, attended their ceremonies and painted them into some of his work.
“I am very excited with the prospect of staying at the bunkhouse and meeting other artists who are passionate about painting the beautiful deserts and rock outcroppings of Utah,” said Eells. “I have long admired the work of Dixon and other western artists such as Edgar Payne and Granville Redmond. They, and others of their era, were able to capture and express the unique qualities of our Western landscapes. I plan to work in oils and acrylics at my stay in Mt. Carmel. The quick drying time of acrylics will be helpful in transporting my work back to Lake County, but some passages just demand oil paint for proper execution.”
Eells has shown at the Main Street Gallery in Lakeport a number of times and his serious dedication to his paintings over the past nine years has been evident in each new show. “We are so pleased that John has been granted this wonderful opportunity to grow his art form, and we look forward to seeing his new work in the Gallery,” said Richard Seisser, gallery chairman. “Happy painting, John!”
Shelby Posada is executive director of the Lake County Arts Council.
