Artist-in-Residence Journal Great Smoky Mountain Nat'l Park
Updated: 12 hours ago
Follow me as I proceed through my journey as Artist-in-Residence at Smoky Mountain National Park. The most recent updates will be posted here at the top of the blog. Some posts will be elaborated upon after the publish date. Please bookmark this blog to see frequent updates.
Due to intermittent internet connectivity at resident housing at the park, please follow me on Instagram for more frequent updates. Click here for my Instagram page.
September 9, 2026
Today I presented the art of pastel landscape painting to the Arrowmont School of Art, in Gatlinburg. Turnout was fantastic and the audience was quite engaged with my demo of Grotto Falls. Arrowmont was founded before the national park, in 1912, gathering the many artists and crafters in the region to build their skills and awareness of the potential to expand art in the area.
My landscape painting of our Meigs Mountain hike is completed. See below. I'll call it "It's a Jungle Out There."
September 8, 2026
Today we hiked to Grotto Falls. This is a rather easy hike, about 1.5 miles one-way on the Trillium Gap trail, climbing an elevation of about 500 feet. Click here for a short video of the falls.
Here's the reference photo that will be the subject of a pastel painting. I started the painting on September 9th as part of my presentation to the Arrowmont School of Arts. More about that tomorrow!
After Grotto Falls, we visited Twin Creeks Science Center. where Sheridan, the Park Volunteer Coordinator, is located. We took a tour of the art work donated by previous Artists-in-Residence and prepared for the Arrowmont presentation on the 9th.
As promised, we returned to the Ben Morton Overlook and saw a sunset! As the sun set, it was interesting to note how the "smokiness" of the Smoky Mountains began to emerge. The "smoke" of the Smokies is caused by volatile organic compounds (VOC's) released by the region's dense vegetation. Call it "plant sweat!"
September 7, 2026
Introducing "Kuwohi," a 9x12 pastel inspired by a visit to the highest point in the Smokies.
Formerly known as Clingman's Dome, Kuwohi is the highest point in the park, at 6,643 feet. The observation tower offers a 360 degree view encompassing the Smokies and beyond.
Today's hike took us to Meigs Mountain Trail, near the Elkmont section of the park. The trail features 18 water crossings at peak water flow in the Spring. Today, we hopped across five picturesque water crossings. I did not lug my plein air supplies along the 3.75 mile hike, choosing instead to capture reference photos. Below is a photo of one of the crossings, which has earned to privilege of becoming a painting!
"The Sinks" is located at the start of the Meigs Mountain Trail, a popular swimming hole where the young and adventurous can dive off the rocks into 20 feet of frigid water.
Yellow Jackets are hiding in the bushes. They are prevalent in the park at this time of the year. One caught me on the left leg and what a sting! I guess it can be considered as an entry fee to pay to enjoy the park! National Parks typically have entry fees, but GSMNP does not, given that Route 441 traverses the entire park, into North Carolina. Fees are raised by charging for parking passes.
We attempted to see the sunset at the Ben Morton Overlook, however, clouds and rain got in the way. Ben was the Mayor of Knoxville and a proponent of building Route 441 through the Smokies. We'll make another attempt at the sunset soon. On our way to Ben's overlook, we stopped by one of the "Quiet Walks" along Newfound Gap (Route 441) Road. Beware the quiet walk. Yes, it was quiet. But we must have wandered off-trail, and found ourselves climbing over a multitude of tree trunks that had fallen across the path. We ultimately turned around to retrace our steps. Out theory is that federal budget cuts have compromised trail maintenance on these secondary trails.
Check back tomorrow for more happenings today!
September 6, 2026
Today, I completed two more paintings, so that's three done and two in progress. The two completed paintings depict views of Fighting Creek, near the visitor center.
Near Cataract Falls, Fighting Creek traverses along the Sugarlands Visitor Center, and is a popular spot for children to frolic in the frigid waters.
Today we hiked the Old Sugarland Trail, 3.9 miles one way to Cherokee Orchard. Saw two bears, the first of which we frightened, so we were on high alert for the next ½ mile or so. The second bear looked pretty young. It was standing on the trail and looking at us. A whistle and some singing scared it off.
Have you ever heard of a Water Strider? It is a fascinating, spider-like bug that sits atop the water and darts back and forth. Several were seen near Cherokee Orchard at the falls near the Rainbow Falls parking are. Here's some detail (more than you would probably care to know about the Water Strider), and a YouTube video.
Following this 8-mle round trip hike, we headed back to the cabin and I wrapped up "Fighting Creek II," my third pastel.
Next, I will wrap up "Kuwohi Viewpoint," a location formerly knows as Clingmans's Dome, the highest point in the park.
September 5, 2026
It's 9pm and Mary and I just returned from Gatlinburg on the Gatlinburg Trail. A thunderstorm met us half-way home and we're soaked.
Today we summited Chimney Tops trail, as far as you can go, since the fires of 2016 closed down the peaks that our son Matthew perched atop 13 years ago. This trail is a classic at the park, despite the fenced-off peaks.
Today's painting included refining a view of the Noah "Bud" Ogle cabin just outside of Gatlinburg. The finished pastel will be available in a couple of days. I spent an hour painting along the Fighting Creek outside of the Sugarland Visitor Center today.
My goal is to complete 25 paintings during my 30-day residency. I have one completed and four in progress after four days of availability. Let's see if I can make that goal!
September 4, 2026
My housing here at GRSM comprises 6 attached cabins which share a satellite internet service. Since it is Labor Day weekend, the other inhabitants, volunteers and hired staff of the park, have left. That improved the Internet connectivity, so this blog is back in business for now.
Today, my wife Mary and I hiked the 5.4 mile round trip Rainbow Falls hike. This is a moderate hike with an uphill battle with rocks and roots. Plenty of photos taken on the route will serve up paintings in the future.
If you follow my Instagram page, I just about wrapped up the 9x12 pastel "Fighting Creek." Yesterday, I completed "Cataract Falls," seen below. Cataract Falls is about 800 feet from my residence. I finished this painting while a couple had their wedding ceremony! It sold to a member of the wedding party, to gift to the newlyweds at Christmas.
Tomorrow I expect to wrap up "Fighting Creek." Today I started "Kuwohi," a 9x12 pastel inspired by a visit to the highest points in the park, formerly known as Clingman's Dome. Also on September 5, I plan to visit the farmstead of Noah "Bud" Ogle for my first landscape and architecture combo painting.
September 2, 2026
I settled into resident housing at Great Smoky Mountain National Park (hereby abbreviated as GRSM). The 8.5 hour drive from Ann Arbor was straightforward and uneventful, except for the Oversize Loads attempting to climb the hills of Northern Tennessee.
While the housing is very accommodating, the wifi is not, so blog updates here will be a bit more sporadic than originally planned.
Near Sugardlands Visitor Center, where my apartment is located, there's a short but beautiful hike along Fighting Creek that heads to Cataract Falls. This is ths first painting I will do, started as a sketch in the studio I setup in the kitchen of the apartment.
Sheridan Roberts, Parkwide Volunteer Coordinator at GRSM, was kind enough to take me along for a four hour tour of the park's environs, including Gatlinburg. One of the highlights of the tour was a trip through the Greenbrier entrance of the part, where the Little Pigeon River traverses throughout the landscape. This less-visited area of the park is dotted with with several unique hiking trails, as well as access points to the river, providing plenty of painting opportunities.
Another highlight was our visit to Arrowmont School of Arts. I will be presenting at the school on September 9th. Engaging art galleries and a variety of crafts, including glass, metals, fiber, sculpture and more, as well as its history, founded in 1912, are key features of this institution.
I sorely owe you some pastel paintings! Look for painting updates here and on Instagram. My goal is to complete 15-20 paintings during my September residency (and beyond at my home studio), having chosen sizes ranging from 9x12 (typically plein air size) to 18x24.
Thanks, and stay tuned for more updates!
August 31, 2026
Today is August 31, 2026 As my Artist-in-Residency begins on September 1, much planning has been completed. After rescheduling my work as a CFO with FocusCFO, and having wrapped up a family vacation at the beach for much of August (visit my beach landscapes here), it's time to finish packing up my studio and prepare for my Smokies adventure.
Onsite Painting Locations
I've worked up an onsite painting list of the iconic locations to paint en plen air, including a variety of water falls and mountain vistas, as well as the vintage architecture in Cades Cove. Soon I will be setting dates to those locations for further engagement with park visitors. Return to this blog to see updates and a link to videos of my painting locales.
Here's the initial list of painting locations. If you have visited the park in the past, look for an original pastel to bring back memories!
Cades Cove
Clingman's Dome - renamed Kuwohi, restored to its traditional Cherokee name.
The Deep Creek area near Bryce City, NC.
Andrews Bald
Gregory Bald
Alum Cave Bluffs
Waterfalls: Ramsey Cascades, Laurel Falls, Grotto Falls, Abrams Falls
Charlies Bunion (If I can make it out that far with my painting gear)!
For my residency, much of my time has been focused on preparing my visitor engagement activities. Here is a link to one of my events scheduled in September. I chose to organize an arts and crafts event to create holiday ornaments with wood slices, depicting flora and fauna of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. During these events, I will also demonstrate the essence of landscape painting in pastel.
Here are a few images of my plans for creating art work with my visitors. Key concepts of art will be taught during these sessions, including contrast of hue, values, and composition. Something to learn for all!
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Here is a recap of the Artist-in-Residence program and expectations and what it means to be an "AIR."
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