Peter’s first trip to Zion National Park was in 1982. He did two paintings. One was titled Great Arch (18x28), a watercolor and gouache on paper and the other was of the landmark formation The Great White Throne. This painting measured 40x60 and was a watercolor/ acrylic/gesso on paper. Over the course of his 50 year career he would return to Zion numerous times.
Artist Maynard Dixon’s first trip to the Southwest was in 1900. This would be the beginning of his lifelong interest of “roaming around” this region. In 1933 Dixon (1875-1946) and his 2nd wife, photographer Dorothea Lange, along with their two children, spent the summer in Zion National Park. I read that Dixon was not a fan of the over romanticized paintings of the Southwest by such famous artists as Moran, Inness and Bierstadt. Dixon referred to his paintings as “honest art of the west.” During his stay at Zion he would produce over 40 paintings. After looking online at many of Dixon’s paintings from Zion I can see that he and Peter chose many of the same rock formations to paint like the Great White Throne, Angel’s Landing and The Sisters.
In 1939 Dixon and his 3rd wife, artist Edith Hamlin, would build a home in Mount Carmel, Utah just 17 miles from Zion. In 1999 the house and property would be acquired by the Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit organization. Their mission is to preserve Dixon’s home and property and educate the public on his career. The Maynard Dixon Legacy Museum is also on the property.
Zion, like most national parks in the USA, has an Artist – In Residence program. Dancers, musicians, photographers, painters, sculptors, weavers/ tapestry/ fabric artists along with visual artists from the USA can apply. Three artists per year are chosen for these one month residencies which take place in April, June and October. The artists are required to do 2 public presentations, mingle with park visitors and donate an original work of art to the parks museum permanent collection, interpretive collection or the parks partnership program which supports the residency program. I have viewed the artwork in this collection online and it is quite impressive! You can tell that these artists truly immersed themselves in the beauty and spirit of the place.