Addendum to Ring Lake Ranch

Realized after I posted this that I forgot to include a significant event from our week at the ranch--an amazing local artist named Gary Keimig did a "quick draw" at one of the afternoon sharing sessions.  He is a very accomplished painter of landscapes of the area and has won many awards for his work.  He apparently first met Maggie Kahin, the founder of Ring Lake many years ago and fell in love with her idea for Ring Lake as a place for spiritual renewal and exploration.  As a result he has had a long relationship with the ranch, and typically comes a couple of times each summer to do this "quick draw" demonstration of how he can take a photograph of a particular view at some place at the ranch, and within 45 minutes produce an amazing painting.  He then lets the ranch auction off the painting to raise funds for the ranch's operations.  This week he did the scene of the rapids from the bridge as you enter the ranch.  It was remarkable to see him work, and to do it so quickly.  The initial strokes of color seemed flat, but then, as he went from place to place on the canvas, adding different shadings and strokes, suddenly you could see the water come alive, and the rapids seemed to be jumping off the canvas right at you--truly amazing!  Apparently this "quick draw" is done fairly frequently, and in Jackson Hole they have periodic quick draw competitions in the town square park, and Gary has won a number of them.  He had a friend and fellow artist with him, and while he was painting, they kept up a running commentary and comedy act that was pretty hilarious.  And the good news, too, is that when they held the auction, Andy said the winning bid was higher than any of the winning bids in past years!

My camera's batteries had died, so I just had my phone, but here are 3 shots of his finished painting:

 He used the photograph clipped to the easel as the guide for the painting, but he said he wanted to add a touch of impressionistic style to the painting as well.