By Tyler AllenExplore Big Sky Senior Editor
Burt Weissbourd’s sophomore novel is a strange and riveting take on a dystopian version of Yellowstone National Park.
“In Velvet” describes the northwest corner of Yellowstone Park as closed for bear management and Rachel, a bear biologist, is discovering some startling animal behavior – grizzlies denning in June, swans at their wintering grounds in summer, and what appear to be Irish Elk, an extinct species, with huge palmated antlers.
“Rachel tried to explain it some other way,” Weissbourd writes. “She couldn’t. She felt suddenly very anxious. Things she relied on were coming undone. It didn’t make sense, but there it was – bear #146 had apparently dug a den. In June.”
She also observes some horrific mutations in the young – elk calves with no front legs, earless bear cubs, and eaglets without wings. Discovering what has gone wrong, why the area is closed, and who’s covering up these animal abnormalities in the park takes the reader along a thrilling ride.
“In Velvet” takes you deep into the hearts of a hard case local detective and a Chicago cop as they take on a corrupt sheriff, a pathalogical poacher, and a lethal black ops manager to solve this mystery and restore the natural order in Yellowstone.
Weissbourd’s first novel, “Inside Passage” was published in 2013 and earlier in his career he produced many notable films, including “Ghost Story,” starring Fred Astaire, and “Raggedy Man,” with Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard.
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.