Elster Workshop:
April 24 and 25, 1999
Palouse Country, Washington

Starting the evening of Saturday April 24, 1999, the NPS will have reports from the "1999 NPS Palouse Country Expedition." The NPS webmaster will provide digital photos from the workshop. Be sure to tune in after 9:00 PM Saturday or Sunday morning.

Upon arrival, Clark selected the best spot for his demonstration. Beginning with a charcoal drawing and shading in the darker areas with black pastel, Clark's painting takes shape.

As the students looked on, Clark explained his technique. His choices of color were as varied as the basalt cliffs themselves. Some areas are covered with moss and drenched in water, while others are dry and gray.

During the demonstration, the students had to listen carefully, as the sound of the falls served to drown out most conversation. Occasionally, a marmot scurried by, chirping a request for food.

After one and one- half hour, Clark completed his piece and the artists set up their easels for the afternoon's work.

Nearing lunch time, your webmaster hiked to the other side of the falls. In the first photo, you can see a flat path above the cliff to the left of the falls. From that vantage point, I took this photograph of the parking lot and the visitor viewpoints. If you look carefully, you can see the students at work.

As the afternoon continued, Clark worked with each student as they created their own version of Palouse Falls. Tomorrow, the work will be a bit different as the expedition travels to Dayton, Washington. Dayton has many historic buildings and our task will be to interpret them in pastel.

Sunday April 25, 1999
Day Two

For the second day of the Palouse Country Expedition, the plan was to stay close to Dayton, WA. Clark suggested that we either paint one of the historic buildings in Dayton, or go out to the top of a "ridge" above Dayton and paint the farm land. A vote was taken, and the students decided to paint the Dayton, WA depot.

A new problem presented itself to the pastelists on Sunday morning. A strong wind had developed. There were gusts with about 15 mph constant wind from the west. Clark decided to use this opportunity to demonstrate en plein air painting under adverse conditions.

Clark set up his easel to the side of the historic Dayton depot, placing the pastel board low on his "French" easel and sat on a low stool. Even with this precaution, Clark had to hold the easel as he painted. In this picture, Clark was about half way through the demonstration.

Following the demonstration, the artists spread out around the depot to find their best composition. Most artists sought rocks, coolers, or anything with weight to hold down their easels. Even with the wind, this was a wonderful painting opportunity.

Shortly after the artists began their work, I called Brenda Himmelberger (NPS member and representative in Dayton WA), who had been unable to attend the workshop due to family responsibilities. She found a few moments to come down to the workshop and share some NPS stories.

Thank you Brenda. You did a lot to help make this 1999 NPS Expedition a success. Brenda is pictured to the left in red. Her daughter is checking out the quality of the NPS pastel paintings.

The Dayton Depot is a very beautiful Victorian structure. It was restored a few years ago and had become a point of interest for travelers and visitors to Eastern Washington. Here you can see the building from the east looking west.

About 1:30 PM, when the artists began to finish their works, it began to sprinkle. With the wind and the sprinkling, most artists picked up their pastels and headed for the coffee house on the next street. Corrina Johnson, however, moved her easel behind the depot and continued her work. Yes, we NPS artists are a tough and determined bunch, indeed.

Clark helps Corrina

With the sky getting black, the wind picking up, and many artists needing to get on their way, the workshop came to a close. As we finished our last cup of coffee, Clark shared with us, a few last "words of pastel wisdom." Before we concluded, however, we discussed where we would like to have our 2000 Expedition. With the success of the 1999 event, it was felt that we should have our next workshop in the same area.

So, pastel artists of the world, make plans. In the late spring of 2000 the NPS Expedition will again be in southeastern Washington. Do plan to attend.

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