Just out of my workshop in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, I had to briefly share the experience with my readers.  After two years of not being able to hold my in-person workshops, this fall presented the perfect timing and opportunity to enjoy gorgeous weather, friendship and wildlife!!  One advanced and one new student meant different projects and plenty of time guiding both throughout.  I was even able to start a new piece of my own based on the elk rut this season.  The Colorado high country is conducive to creating wildlife art with its fresh, crisp, cool air and wildlife roaming in every direction.  While we spent the majority of our time burning and creating, we also took advantage of the final days of the infamous elk rut and ventured down the canyon to see bighorn sheep beginning their rut season.  Outside the working cabin at McGregor Mountain Lodge and its large picture windows were all sorts of birds native to the area, so it was naturally hard to resist stopping and taking photos of them!  All in all, a very successful 6-day intensive workshop, eating awesome food, hiking Rocky Mountain National Park, observing amazing wildlife, collecting photos to reference in future art - and of course creating beautiful art together!

 

  

Barb burning a new work on paper based on a cow and calf elk in water, while Becky burning her bugling bull elk on maple wood.  Pyrography is such an exciting and rewarding medium to master with it's inherent sepia tones and contrasting values.

 

Our wildlife outings were the highlight of our memorable week together.  Experiencing these amazing animals up-close in their natural habitat, observing and understanding their behaviors gave us necessary insights to create beautiful stories in our art.

 

   

Watching the Bighorn rams begin their rutting season.  Always thrilling to watch them clash horns, and easy to hear from quite a distance.

 

  

Outside our working cabin in Estes Park were numerous Stellar's Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, Magpies and much more!

 

Always an amazing experience, my workshops offer so much for my students to take in, including gaining a deep appreciation for the wildlife that we depict in our art.  Fall in the Colorado high country is a feast for all senses.

 

All images and written content of this website are copyrighted by Julie Bender. All uses without permission strictly prohibited.