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Custom Naturalist Workshops in Yosemite National Park are open to Individuals and Groups of all ages and experience levels at all times throughout the year. We guarantee smaller group sizes for a more personalized experience. View our Calendar to plan your next Yosemite Adventure. If a session is not scheduled, we will customize one for you.

Call or email us today:
(800) 886-8009
tours@yexplore.com

Mike Warner
Naturalist Guide

Mike has backpacked the high Sierra from the age of 14. He has a degree in Illustration from the California College of Arts. He studied Botany and Natural History at SFSU. He has a home in the N. Sierra called Sierra Solitude and paints and draws and photographs in Nature whenever he can. In recent years he and his wife Joanna have lead group travel adventures. When mike goes backpacking to beautiful places he shares his supplies and encourages his companions to make art too. He belongs to the East Bay Plein Air Group and has done figurative painting his whole life. He also keeps nature journals and has learned the art of keeping materials light and accessible while on the trail. The trick is to work fast and keep the scale small. His business in Richmond CA, making small things, is called Wild Bryde Jewelry. His many creations have been sold at museum gift stores and nature reserve visitor centers as well as Yosemite National Park for close to 30 years. For him, jewelry is a perfect blend of art, craft and all things precious. Wild Bryde Jewelry inspires conversation about nature.

Mike has been returning to Yosemite every year to explore and to do art. He likes a variety of mediums often making his own art materials. He is an avid birder and botanist and history buff. He likes the English countryside of Devon and Cornwall, where his wife's family lives, but he knows the landscape at home is incredibly rich and gives thanks for the opportunities he has had in California.  Mike likes to celebrate this wonderful place we love. Mixing paint colors to capture light and texture is a powerful way to explore the subtle and emotionally rich world of Nature. Sitting quietly and learning to observe it closely is something he'd like to share with others. His style is supportive and non critical and believes everyone should avail themselves of art when visiting nature.

YOSEMITE WORKSHOPS

YOSEMITE INSPIRATION POINT
NATURALIST WALK
"Your Spirit Meets Yosemite"
with Steve Thaw and Mike Warner

Date: May 16, 2009 (9am)

Price- $50 per person

Enjoy a lively walk and discussion about our relationships with Yosemite. We will use a Yosemite themed anthology to read short passages to inspire our thoughts. The walk follows a route to premier vistas of Yosemite Valley. On the return, we continue conferring what colors our inner canvas and how deep self-discovery takes place during the special time we create art. At our destination, or when the spirit moves us, we will open up our backpack of art materials. We pause with the view and give expressions via photography, sketches, art, poetry, and journaling. Express your deep spiritual connection with nature in a joyful place you will always remember. Tour will last six hours.

Art Kits are suggested for this tour and will be available for sale by Mike and Steve. Detailed materials list and info provided to registrants.

YOSEMITE SIERRA POINT
NATURALIST WALK
"Spiritual Search: Treasures of
the Five Fountains"
with Steve Thaw and Mike Warner

Date: May 16, 2009 (9am)

Price- $75 per person

We will scramble 900 feet up a use trail to discover a "secret point" to behold a panorama of the magnificent Five Fountains. Attain the summit of your awareness and vision in this perfect spot for a nurturing experience. Chalk pastels and conte crayon techniques will be demonstrated to create lovely bright images that take just minutes. Splash those bright colors to record the five waterfalls. You will also learn how to assemble a small and lightweight art kit and prepare art boards to take on walks. Tour will last approximately 5 hours.

Art Kits are suggested for this tour and will be available for sale by Mike and Steve. Detailed materials list and info provided to registrants.

YOSEMITE MIRROR LAKE
NATURALIST WALK
"Their Spirits Remain. Will Yours?"
with Steve Thaw and Mike Warner

Date: May 17, 2009 (9am)

Price- $75 per person

Tap into your imagination and playfulness while having fun with your camera and art supplies. Capture the moods and unique atmospherics in the lights and shadows of Tenaya Canyon and Tissiack where you can listen to the legends of the Ahwahneechee. We will seek tree-top views of Yosemite Valley to further excite your senses. Witness as John Muir did, while we walk, sketch, and photograph with extraordinary vantage points of the face of Tissiack. Tour will last 6 hours.

Art Kits are suggested for this tour and will be available for sale by Mike and Steve. Detailed materials list and info provided to registrants.

YOSEMITE MERCED RIVER
NATURALIST WALK
"Interaction of Our Spirits"
with Steve Thaw and Mike Warner

Date: May 18, 2009 (9am)

Price- $75 per person

Following the singing Merced, the myriad of Yosemite Spirits will introduce themselves, and help us recognize our emotional connection with wildness through our cameras and sketchbooks. During this gentle saunter, we plan to study the Yosemite environs through art making exercises and group sharing. With easy to use tools, we will look for ways to enable ourselves to connect with the spirit of Yosemite. This art walk is focused on subjective responses, encouraging your spirit to speak.

Art Kits are suggested for this tour and will be available for sale by Mike and Steve. Detailed materials list and info provided to registrants.


 

 

 

 

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