Spring City, UT - June 23-27, 2026
THE FRYER-HUNTER GATHERING:
A Juried Painting Colloquium and Workshop
Spring City, Utah
June 23-27, 2026
ONE SPACE AVAILABLEAnnouncing the second Fryer-Hunter Gathering. A juried workshop, taking a deep dive into the artistic process.
This is an opportunity for serious vocational and professional painters to explore their creativity in a supportive, collegially intensive workshop. Artists work individually, in the field or in shared studio space, then gather at day’s end for critique and fellowship. No instruction, per se, will be given. Instead, participating artists are expected to be comfortable with self-direction and the painting techniques of their choosing.
Leading the colloquium will be painters Douglas Fryer and Charlie Hunter. The first Gathering, taking place in Bellows Falls, VT in 2023, had its roots in a pre-pandemic get-together in December, 2019, when Doug Fryer, Terry Miura, Patrick Lee and John Lassiter IV gathered at Hunter’s studio for several exhilarating days of fellowship and painting. From those roots, Hunter and Fryer began discussing how exciting a juried colloquium might be; how to create a gathering where serious artists might paint intensively, where the exchange of ideas and concepts would be paramount, where the why, as opposed to just the how and what of art would have a place at the table.
This will be a serious (but fun) workshop for serious (but fun) painters. Each day there will be hours of painting time, followed by daily group critique of work, evening meals together, and winding up the day with discussion on larger philosophic and artistic topics.
This is an opportunity for serious vocational and professional painters to explore their creativity in a supportive, collegially intensive workshop. Artists work individually, in the field or in shared studio space, then gather at day’s end for critique and fellowship. No instruction, per se, will be given. Instead, participating artists are expected to be comfortable with self-direction and the painting techniques of their choosing.
Leading the colloquium will be painters Douglas Fryer and Charlie Hunter. The first Gathering, taking place in Bellows Falls, VT in 2023, had its roots in a pre-pandemic get-together in December, 2019, when Doug Fryer, Terry Miura, Patrick Lee and John Lassiter IV gathered at Hunter’s studio for several exhilarating days of fellowship and painting. From those roots, Hunter and Fryer began discussing how exciting a juried colloquium might be; how to create a gathering where serious artists might paint intensively, where the exchange of ideas and concepts would be paramount, where the why, as opposed to just the how and what of art would have a place at the table.
This will be a serious (but fun) workshop for serious (but fun) painters. Each day there will be hours of painting time, followed by daily group critique of work, evening meals together, and winding up the day with discussion on larger philosophic and artistic topics.
Doug Fryer writes: "We are thrilled that you are considering joining us for another Fryer/Hunter Gathering, held this time in my home town of Spring City, Utah. It is a beautiful town on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a lovely mix of a small village with surroundings of hayfields on one side and woodlands on the other; junipers giving way to aspen and pine forests. The peaks above town reach to 11,000', with easy access to the top, via different canyons up to Skyline Drive.
The town is known for its preservation of early Pioneer stone or adobe houses and cabins. There are quite a number of interesting subjects to paint, both in the landscape and in town. But you don't have to paint en plein air. We have a wonderful building in which we will meet and work as well. Our venue for the Gathering is in the largest historical stone barn in the state, surrounded by lovely perennial and annual gardens.
As with the last gathering, we hope it will be particularly supportive for intermediate to advanced artists who desire the benefit of serious discourse, meaningful critique and congenial dialogue while developing associations with other artists in a friendly roundtable context. This is meant to be a type of collegium, one in which each member can contribute to discussion, critique sessions, and informal conversation, and in which the members can make connections, seek and give counsel and recommendations, and do work in a spirit of exploration - rather than as students receiving instruction, or as participants in a competitive event.
Although the exact content of the roundtable discussions is developing, I can say that it will be similar to what we did in the first Gathering. It will tend toward the more significant questions regarding developing content in our work, what makes a healthy studio practice, how we each navigate the various pressures of the art world, and how to best make and achieve both our artistic and our marketing goals. In essence, talk with others about how to find and retain our artistic voices and find satisfaction in our work.
Of course, as the hosts of the event, Charlie and I will generally take the lead during the course of the week, but much will be left to the participants as contributors. ...Our hope is that this second Gathering can be as transformational as the first proved for many of us."
APPLICATION AND COST:
If you are interested in attending, please email charlie(at)hunter-studio.com explaining why such a gathering is of interest, your current CV, and at least three samples of your work.
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until colloquium is full (maximum of 14 participants). The colloquium tuition is $1,475.00 per person, and includes painting space, all group activities, and some meals.
If you are interested in attending, please email charlie(at)hunter-studio.com explaining why such a gathering is of interest, your current CV, and at least three samples of your work.
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until colloquium is full (maximum of 14 participants). The colloquium tuition is $1,475.00 per person, and includes painting space, all group activities, and some meals.
Lodging is not included, but Doug and Theresa Fryer will work with participants desiring accommodations at one of several multiple-bedroom properties in Spring City.
Upon acceptance, payment in full is due within five days. Tuition is non-refundable, although should a participant need to cancel, we will share their contact information with any names on the waitlist.
HOSTS:
Douglas Fryer is an atmospheric painter, widely respected for his richly textured, subtly abstracted landscapes, still-lifes and figures. Fryer was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was raised in the northern suburbs of Chicago and in California. He received a BFA (1988) and MFA (1995) from Brigham Young University, principally studying with Bruce Hixon Smith. Interested in work that explores the interplay between the physical and metaphysical, Fryer has been influenced by artists such as Soren Emil Carlsen, John Twachtman, George Inness, Edgar Degas, Fred Cuming, V. Douglas Snow and Alex Kanevsky, among many others. Fryer has taught at BYU, University of Hartford, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Snow College. His work is held in numerous private and public collections.
Charlie Hunter is a Vermont painter of the post-pastoral American landscape. His distinctive, low-chroma work is heavily reliant on a mastery of values, edges and composition, focusing on “what natures does to what man creates.” After graduating from Yale University with a BA in Art, Hunter became a designer of tour posters for musicians such as the Jerry Garcia Band, Bob Dylan, The Clash, and REM. In the 2000’s Hunter was inducted into the Putney Painters, and was fortunate enough to paint for over a decade with Richard Schmid and other contemporary realists associated with the group. Hunter’s sketches are featured in Schmid’s ALLA PRIMA II, and his work is widely collected. Hunter has won numerous awards at plein air events including Art In The Open (Ireland), Door County (WI), Easton (MD), Smoky Mountains (TN), and Laguna Beach (CA).
PARTICULARS:
The farming community of Spring City, located on US highway 89 is increasingly known as an artistic center, and was listed by Forbes as one of the prettiest towns in the United States. Located in central Utah, Spring City is an hour from Provo, and less than two hours from Salt Lake City. The Spring City Historic District recognizes Spring City's status as a well-preserved example of a Mormon settlement. The district is primarily residential in character, but includes the town's commercial core.