Arizona State Parks: Audio Update

Event: Plein Air Treasures, Art Show, January 5-27, 2008

Park: Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park
Guests: Artist & Board Member of the Tuscon Plein Air Painters Society Cindy Carrillo and Boyce Thompson Arboretum Information Specialist & Volunteer Program Coordinator Paul Wolterbeek
Summary: Guests explain what Plein Air is and the inspiration behind creating these events. Also, learn about the upcoming art show and find out why Boyce Thompson Arboretum inspires artists & photographers to hike the trails.
Time: 6:15

Intro Music:

HOST:
Welcome to the Arizona State Parks Audio Update. Today we'll be talking about the Plein Air Treasures art show to be held at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park January 5th to the 27th, 2008. This art show will feature the top 3 paintings that were created at 9 different Arizona State Parks during Plein Air Events. Two guests join us today. First is artist Cindy Carrillo, a board member of the Tuscon Plein Air Painters Society and founding member of the Arizona Plein Air Painters. Welcome Cindy.

CINDY CARRILLO
Thank you.

HOST:
Second is Paul Wolterbeek, Boyce Thompson Arboretum's Information Specialist and Volunteer Program Coordinator. Hi there Paul.

PAUL WOLTERBEEK:
Hi there. It's great to be here.

HOST:
Now Cindy I understand you worked closely with Mary Alice Daenzer, Arizona State Parks Education Outreach Coordinator to help plan these 9 Plein Air Events at the parks. What was your inspiration for doing this?

CARRILLO:
Mary Alice and I got together with a few other folks trying to brainstorm ideas for getting people to come to the State Parks and discover that they're there. And maybe a different kind of group of people rather then the usual folks that might have been going all the time. That's when we came up with the idea of doing painting events, you get painters from all over, even other states then they're in town and people coming to watch the painters. And then the paintings that the artists finish we would hope would really inspire viewers who saw the paintings to go to state parks.

HOST:
Now Plein Air is a French term that means "in the open air" and Plein Air events are sometimes referred to as a "paint outs". Tell us more about that.

CARRILLO:
Well, yes Plein Air is painting in person in front of your subject as opposed to somebody who would be working maybe in a studio or from a photograph. The Plein Air painter prefers to get it down live, the way the sunlight is that day, live, on the spot. That's Plein Air painting. A Paint Out is typically just an organized event where you're having folks come in and you give them a timeline, they come in with blank canvases, they work and then gather again to see the artwork.

HOST:
Now I know your organizations and many of your artists are concerned about protecting and conserving outdoor spaces in Arizona, including State Parks. Some artists consider themselves environmental stewards and educators? Tell us more about that.

CARRILLO:
That's definitely true. I think particularly with this new organization that we've pulled together called the Arizona Plein Air Painters and it's statewide. And one of the biggest parts of our mission statement is just raising awareness of the open lands, the land that we still have that doesn't have model homes on it and trying to keep that. One of the things we're really adamant about is you go in, you do your painting and you leave without any sign you were there. And if anything we bring trash bags and pick up anything we find on the ground.

HOST:
And at the Boyce Thompson Paint Out your painting received 2nd place so it will be included in the upcoming show in January. Correct?

CARRILLO:
Yes.

HOST:
Now, Paul, besides the upcoming gallery show, what can people can do and experience at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

WOLTERBEEK:
It's a great place for artistic inspiration whether you're painting or photographing or just about anything. It's one of the fun things about being there, working there, and also being a visitor is coming and walking the trails. It's crossing paths with somebody, you know, doing work on an easel doing Plein Air painting or taking some pictures. We've been doing photography classes for the past couple years and that's been a real growth area for people to express themselves artistically and learn more about their own cameras and about photography. We've been talking about starting to possibly have a Plein Air day once a month as well where we actually have someone like Cindy or CJ Rider or Burdell Moody or one of the people who come up and paint on the grounds do a morning class or an afternoon class taking advantage of different types of light in different gardens and offering that as something we can offer once a month that people can sign up for.

HOST:
The Arboretum is also an excellent place to view wildlife, over 250 species of birds have been recorded. So it's a perfect place for a day trip.

WOLTERBEEK:
It is and once again since we're talking about kind of an artistic theme, there's a lot of color. This time of year the Fall color. Usually the fall color peaks in November. We see beautiful wildflowers during the Spring and people come out and paint that and photograph that. During the late spring and early summer we have cactus blossoms come in. During the summer we have, sometimes we we get the rains, if we get a good monsoon, you can see water coming down Queen Creek or Silver Wash. All of those things make it exciting and different each time you visit each season.

HOST:
Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park is located on Highway 60 three miles west of the town of Superior at milepost #223. About a 1-hour drive east of Phoenix or two hours north from Tucson Admission is $7.50 for adults and $3 for children ages 5-12. Annual memberships to the Arboretum begin at $45, and includes a year's access, guest passes for your friends and family, along with many other benefits. A membership may be purchased in the gift shop on the day of your visit. The park's winter hours are 8 am - 5 pm daily. The Park is closed December 25. The Plein Air Treasures art show runs from January 5th to the 27th with an opening reception on January 5th at 7 pm in the Gallery located inside the visitors center. Thanks both of you for joining us today.

CARRILLO:
You're very welcome.

WOLTERBEEK:
Thank you.

HOST:
Eleven new Plein Air events are scheduled for 2008 at Arizona State Parks. Visit our website AzStateParks.com for current information.

Music:

Commentator:
Arizona State Parks: Managing and serving Arizona’s natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people both in our parks and through our partnerships. Visit us on the web as azstateparks.com.

Music: End

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