A Successful 2nd Annual Everett Ruess Days & Escalante Canyons Working Arts Festival

The Second Annual Escalante Canyons Everett Ruess Days Working Arts Festival held Oct 6 - 9, 2005 in Escalante and Boulder was counted as a great success by 62 Plein Air artists competing for $8000 in prizes, 60 vendors of fine arts and local crafts and at least 1000 participants from the local area, Utah, and across the nation.

Events began in Boulder on Thursday, highlighted by the dedication of a bronze plaque placed at the Burr Trail Outpost and Grill by publisher Gibbs Smith, in memory of Everett Ruess who disappeared into the Escalante River canyon lands in November of 1934.

The events continued for the next two days in Escalante, highlighted by the Plein Air Competition awards on Saturday evening. The $2000 First Place Purchase Award in the watercolor/pastel/mixed-media category went to Clay Wagstaff of Tropic. His entry was a 22" x 30" graphite drawing titled "Panguitch Fields". Clay sells his work in fine art galleries in New York City; Sante Fe, New Mexico; Scottsdale, Arizona; Palm Desert, California; Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Darrell Thomas from Centerville, Utah, won the $2000 First Place Purchase Award in the oil/acrylics category with a 24" x 36" oil painting. Darrell has worked as an illustrator and artist and shows his work in Salt Lake City and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Escalante resident, Lynn Griffin, won the People's Choice Award and a $500 Award of Merit with his 16" x 20" acrylic painting "Spencer Flat Wash". Lynn's work  will be featured at the 2006 Festival Oct 2 - 8 as "Artist of the Year" along with the work of the late Dr. Wallace Lee, Sr. of Panguitch.  Both artists are currently featured at the Hale Gallery in Panguitch and Lynn's work can be seen at the Desert Wolf Gallery and Serenidad Gallery in Escalante.

Many of the participants enjoyed the "Hole-in-the-Rock" play on Saturday night and were deeply moved by the story and charmed by the music and dancing of local residents as they portrayed the extreme hardships endured by the San Juan Colonizers 125 years ago.

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