Finger Painting in Glacier Park Educational Program

Finger Painting in Glacier Park Educational Program

Hike Overview Continued

Instructor: Elizabeth Mordensky

Join us as we view Glacier National Park through an artistic lens. This course will explore the hands-on technique of finger painting. We as artists will put down our paint brushes and use our fingers as tools while deepening our connections to the natural world. Whether gazing upon the Middle Fork or inspecting a Douglas fir cone, participants will gain further admiration for this park and its wildlife. As we take the time to observe the beauty before our eyes, the course will focus on preparation and observation skills, with a beautiful work of art as the final product.

Meeting Place: Glacier Institute Field Camp.

Itinerary: (subject to change due to trail closures and weather) We will meet at Field Camp at 7 a.m. for coffee and introductions. The group will then go over the basics of finger painting, discussing preparation, composition, color blocking, and detail. The group will practice sketching and preparing their canvas for paint. We will walk around Field Camp and begin to discuss how to pick a scene to paint. We will then head to Lake McDonald to work on our paintings. We will enjoy sack lunches at Field Camp, before continuing our discussion in the afternoon. Participants will get hands-on practice with using their fingers as paintbrushes. By the end of the course, participants will have a finished piece of art to take home. We will have a viewing of the group’s final products. The course will conclude at 4 p.m.

Food: Please bring a trail lunch, snacks, and plenty of water for the day.

Park Entrance Fees: Participants are responsible for purchasing their park entry passes prior to the course. These can be purchased online at:

https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74280.

Equipment:

• Water Soluble oil paints for easy clean up without toxic chemicals (regular oil paints need turpentine to clean up). Winsor and Newton is the brand I use, but many brands make them. They can be hard to find in store, but you can easily find them online at dickblick.com or jerrysartarama.com/
• Nitrile gloves (or something similar) you want them to be skin tight.
• Two 3/4″ thick canvases. The smallest I recommend is 16″x20″ but 18″x24″” is better if travel restrictions aren’t an issue for you. Finger painting works best on a larger scale. (We may only paint one painting, but you need the second canvas to safely carry your wet work home. Finger painting can be quite quick to create, so you may have the opportunity to paint on the second canvas as well). You can opt for thicker canvases if you wish, but unless you have a wet carrying case for boards, you will want at least 3/4″ thick for my method of carrying wet work home. *** If you live locally, you don’t need the second canvas as protection if you have a box you can lay the canvas flat in, in your vehicle.
• A pallet knife with this shape is useful if you need to scrape off any area you are unhappy with.
• Optional- We will have picnic tables available to work on, but if you prefer to paint upright, then you can bring either a standing easel or a table top easel.
• Some of you may have a wet painting carrying case if you have done plein air painting in the past, but if not, here is the supplies you will need to protect your wet painting:
• A set of two sided canvas pins (Like these)
• Two pieces of cardboard cut to 4″ larger than the size of your canvases. (example, if you have a 16×20″ canvas, your piece of cardboard should be 20″x24″)
• Either a box to set your painting in or a plastic bag such as a trash bag.

Physical Requirements: We will take leisurely strolls around Field Camp, and along the shores of Lake McDonald. We may walk over loose rocks along the shore. There will be less than 100 feet of elevation changes.