Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
We're here to have a good time and practice the art of conversation.” We then
voted on a topic to discuss, ultimately choosing the question “Does politics cor-
rupt those who engage in it?” and we were off. For the following, too-short hour
and a half, every one of the 16 people there spoke, sometimes heatedly, but always
civilly, batting big ideas back and forth, agreeing, disagreeing, laughing at one
point so loudly that gamblers nearby stared at us all puzzled, trying to figure out
what the heck was going on.
It was, without a doubt, the most exhilarating time I spent in the 7 weeks I
was in Vegas researching this topic, and when I am next there on a Tuesday, I plan
to return to the circle. Some participants find it so addictive that they rearrange
their lives to attend. A retired teacher told me, “I have to have something intel-
lectual in my life. I quit a singles club just so I can be here every Tuesday.”
VAN GOGH IN THE DESERT
The second “learning just for the joy of it” experience is a most unusual tour . . .
in which you don't move for 4 hours. Instead, you go out to some of the most
beautiful areas outside of Las Vegas—Red Rock Canyon (p. 292), Mount
Charleston (p. 296), the Valley of Fire (p. 294)—draw up a stool and an easel, and
try to re-create what you see before you on canvas. Geared to novice painters,
Scenic Pleasure Painting Tours, Inc. ( % 888/302 - 8882 or 702/256 - 8882; www.
scenicpaintingtours.com; $ 200; tours every Thurs and Sat; AE, DISC, MC, V) is the
brainchild of artist Loretta Reinick, who began these tours in 2005 and attracts a
steady stream of vacationers and locals who simply want to try painting. Reinick,
who leads every tour, has an unusual talent for helping totally inept painters—
which is how I'd classify myself—to quickly understand the fundamentals of the
art, create a darn good painting, and have a great time doing it.
She does this by outlining some very concrete steps towards the goal. The first
thing our group did was gather stones from our immediate area that mirrored the
colors of the landscape. Loretta then squeezed just the primary colors and shades
onto our palette—red, blue, yellow, white, and black—and had us mix colors
until we had several piles of paint that came close to matching the tones of the
rocks, and thus our landscape. After simply mixing colors for a good hour (a very
Zen, relaxing experience, I might add), she demonstrated how to sketch the land-
scape on our canvas, concentrating on painting the distance first and then mov-
ing forward. After an hour of base painting, we broke for a picnic lunch with
wine—and that sure helped the art-making!—and then returned to dabbing and
molding and streaking. Reinick walked from painter to painter as we worked,
offering pointers and advice. Several times, if someone looked nervous about what
was on their canvas, she repeated, “It's just about playing with the paint. If you
approach it that way, you'll have better results.”
At the end of the 4 hours, we looked up from our own easels, startled that the
time had rocketed by, and startled, too, by how different each painting looked.
This is no paint-by-numbers class; Reinick was able to help bring out each
participant's personal style. I have to say, I was so happy with my painting that
it's now framed and hanging in my bathroom. Another highly recommended
experience.
A word about the cost: The tour, as you'll note above, is a full $200, which
puts it on the pricier side of the options listed in this chapter. But because it
includes lunch, transportation to the site, a lot of expensive materials, and at the
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