Visual artist and local resident Bridgette Meinhold and the Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter staff believe art is a good way to get in touch with the Great Outdoors, and the connection gets stronger when the artists create art outside.

That’s why they’re partnering with the Plein Air Watercolor Workshop that will run from 8-11 a.m, on Saturday, July 8, at the Swaner Nature Preserve, 1258 Center Drive at Kimball Junction.

“The group will meet at the EcoCenter and then head out to the back deck,” said Community Engagement Manager Janna Coulter. 

---

---

“The set-ups will depend on the group and how much water is on the preserve, because we have a new stream running in the back of the pier. We won’t go wading, but we’ll go a little ways out.”

“There is a magic that happens when the pigment and water interact with the paper that you can’t control sometimes.” Bridgette Meinhold, artist

Registration is now open by visiting swanerecocenter.org/calendar. The cost is $35 for Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter members, and $45 for non members.

---

---

Participants can bring their own supplies, or they can pay an additional $25 fee and the Swaner EcoCenter will provide them with all they need, Coulter said.

“The group is limited to 20 people, and we still have some openings,” she said. “There is no age limit, but we would prefer anyone who is under 16 to have a love of art and to be accompanied by an adult.”

Meinhold, who is represented locally by Gallery MAR and the Sundance Catalog, enjoys teaching plein air workshops on a little swath of the 1,200-acre Swaner Preserve.

“It’s beautiful, and I love that Swaner Nature Preserve is all about not only protecting the environment, but getting people out to experience it,” she said. “One of the things I like to teach in my class is that this is a great way to be one with nature, so to speak. Through observation, we can learn about nature, and plein air painting is a great way to observe nature. It helps slow you down so you can take more in.”

One of the reasons Meinhold selected watercolors was because of convenience.

“They are easy and portable, and it doesn’t require a lot of energy or space to set up or materials,” she said. “A small watercolor palette and a couple of brushes can fit in your pocket or a backpack or a hip pack. All you need is a little bit of water and paper.”

Meinhold, who is also represented regionally by Gallery Wild in Jackson, Wyoming, and Diane West Jewelry and Art in Durango, Colorado, also feels watercolors are “magical.”

“With some of the other mediums, you have the ability to fix things along the way, but with watercolors, you can’t always fix things,” she said. “There is a magic that happens when the pigment and water interact with the paper that you can’t control sometimes, and I think it’s fun to see what happens.”

During the class, Meinhold will talk about watercolor supplies and basic watercolor skills. 

“Throughout the class I can help you figure out what supplies you may want to get in the future,” she said.

The artist will also help class members put what they see on paper.

“One of the reasons I love teaching this class is because I’m sharing nature and the outdoors with people,” she said. “I also want to empower people to know that they have just as much right to make art as I do. Even though I’m a professional artist who makes a living off of this, I want people to know that making art is accessible. I want to show them ways to do that.”

Another reason why Meinhold enjoys teaching art is the interaction with the students.

“I’m still learning,” she said. “These classes also help me learn things from my students.”

The Plein Air Watercolor Workshop is open to all levels of artists, Meinhold emphasized.

“If you haven’t touched a paint brush since you were a little kid, come on down,” she said. “If you’re a professional artist, I want to at least think about art in a way you may not have thought about.”

The workshop is only one of many events that the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter has partnered with Meinhold on, Coulter said.

“We try to do regular things with Bridgette, because she has a great variety of skills,” she said. “Bridgette is wonderful because she brings a keen sense of ecology to her art, and she conveys that in her teachings. She has taken a couple of Master Naturalist courses, so she has a great depth of knowledge of Utah wildlife and ecology.”