Adventure Painting
About
The Guild of Adventure Painters is a 501c3 that aims to keep nature at the forefront of the arts through residency programs, community building initiatives, curating exhibitions and public events.
Founded in 2017, it’s been our goal to encourage artists to actively engage with the outdoors, fostering a greater appreciation for nature and ultimately contributing to its preservation.
History
The Guild of Adventure Painters began in 2017 with one resident, Sophia Heymans, and its two founders: Johnny DeFeo and Aaron Zulpo. We embarked on a journey in DeFeo’s box truck, equipped with a loft for sleeping and ample art storage. Traveling from Denver through New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and back again to Colorado, we created connections with local artists and institutions while producing three paintings each day. Whew!
In 2019, the residency received generous funding to expand its program. In a thirty-foot RV, the two founders and five artists set off on a 26-day drive. We explored national parks, cities, and everything in between as we traveled from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles, California. On the adventure, we hosted a community paint day at the Monterey Museum of Art. Later that year, 1969 Gallery (New York) exhibited the first formal exhibition of paintings made on the residency in their Lower East Side space.
After a successful year, our program was temporarily paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, The Guild of Adventure Painters returned with a new initiative called Excursions. Instead of artists traveling to their painting locations, we brought the experience to their backyards. The founders met up with local artists to paint landscapes and landmarks in New Mexico, Los Angeles, San Diego, Joshua Tree and New York City.
Building upon the success of these Excursions, the Guild was invited by The Armory Show (New York) to organize a large-scale public art activation in Astor Place, Manhattan. Over the course of five days, the public engaged with New York artists who painted in real time, while previous Residency and Excursion paintings were showcased in a custom 30-foot Airstream. More than 50 artists participated in the project!
2022 was yet another milestone year. The Guild embarked on its first international residency, exploring the Canadian Rockies in Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Park for 2 weeks. The year concluded with a community painting week in partnership with The Green-Wood Cemetery, a historic landmark in Brooklyn, NY, to promote artistic engagement with the public.
