Guided Watercolor Outing: Paint an area under threat by the Roadless Rules Repeal near Candler, NC

Join MountainTrue and artist Amanda Cortina for a guided watercolor outing along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Participants will learn more about the threat of the Roadless Rules Repeal while receiving watercolor instruction to paint an area currently under threat.

The 2001 Roadless Rule protects 58 million acres of roadless National Forest land nationwide. Here in Western North Carolina, the rule protects 152,000 acres of the wildest places remaining in the East. The Trump Administration is attempting to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule in an effort to emphasize mining, logging, and grazing on those lands. From the Mills River Valley Overlook, the large ridge in the foreground is Laurel Mountain, home of the Laurel Mountain Roadless Area. The Laurel Mountain Roadless Area provides excellent opportunities for backcountry hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and rock climbing. Laurel Mountain also drains into the Mills River, which provides drinking water for Hendersonville, Henderson County, and Buncombe County. The clean waters of the North and South Mills River support renowned trout fisheries and a strong hellbender population. All of those values would be threatened by road building and commercial logging.

Art from the outing will be displayed for sale at the MountainTrue Annual Member Gathering in Asheville, NC on Oct. 8th. Any unsold art can be returned to the artist as desired.

All art supplies will be provided. Registration for this event is free, however, if you would like to help cover the cost of supplies, we invite you to make an optional donation.

Meet-up: at 9 am at the Mills River Valley Overlook (milepost 404.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway). Please bring layers-it’s a little chillier at the higher elevations.

About the artist:
Amanda Cortina grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Upstate South Carolina. From the
moment she could hold a crayon, she was creating art.

Every weekend, her parents would take her on adventures into the mountains of Western North
Carolina. It was there that she discovered her one true love. Nothing on this earth compares to the connection she feels when she is in those mountains. They are her inspiration, her sanctuary, and the place where her spirit feels most at home.

The landscapes, colors, and quiet strength of the mountains continue to shape her work, influencing not only what she creates but also how she sees the world. They remain a constant source of wonder, reflection,
and creative energy.