Leanne Spanza's Sketchbook: Art In The Park

Earlier this year I screamed into the phone as if I'd won the lottery, because that is exactly what it felt like. It was Jackie on the other end telling me that I had been selected out of 60 artists from across BC to participate in the Art in the Park program which meant I was to spend a week up at Mt Fidelity in Glacier National Park.

I was beyond thrilled and felt like a kid counting down the days until Christmas until the end of July came where I got to head up there (all expenses paid too!).

The time finally arrived and although I was sad to leave Carl and especially Joni for the first time I was very excited. I met the group of 5 other artists that night while we had a bbq dinner and the next morning we hopped in the 4x4 truck and climbed 1800m to the Mt Fidelity Research Station overlooking Rogers Pass.

We spent some time exploring, getting to know each other and then eating an enormous dinner. We were treated like Royalty up there, meals were planned and cooked and wherever we wanted to explore we could. As long as we went, for the most part, in groups and had bear spray.
Zu was our Parks Canada guide, leading us to the peaks and valleys of Mt Fidelity so we could photograph, sketch and paint. It was absolutely incredible the scenery and thought that as this mountain is closed to the public, there was the sense that no one else has or would be standing in the same place I was sketching. I woke up twice during the week to watch the beautiful sun rise over Rogers Pass.

We spent Sunday exploring Schuss Lake.

This is the waterfall at the other end of Schuss Lake

Below are a few more photos from this incredible experience that I was so lucky to be apart of. I will never forget this and be forever grateful for the time I spent up Mt Fidelity.