Changes Are in the Air

It's been a little crazy lately, mostly getting more paintings done for an upcoming show. As you may have noticed, art is my passion, and there's no other job I'd rather do.

Except I may have to do a different job.

Artists, like many others, have been struggling in this difficult economic situation. Between The Wiffee's paycheck and my few-and-far-between sales, we're not bringing in enough to pay the bills.

As it turned out, a job opening appeared in my area -- one I should be qualified to do, and one that isn't either an auto mechanic, a truck driver or a manager/director of some kind. These are the only jobs that typically come up in the high desert.

So I have an interview next week -- and if they offer me the job, I'll accept it. Besides the loss of time to paint, I'll also be focusing on being the best employee I can be. I suspect painting activity would drop to almost zero for the first few months, at least.

However, I'm still a long ways from getting the job, so for now, I have to assume I'll continue Plan A (with its many modifications over the years) and work on art like it's going out of style. (Sometimes I wonder if it is).

Changes are in the air. If I get the job, art will be pushed to the back burner for a long time. If I continue doing art fulltime, I'll need to find whatever it is that will lead people to excise $$$ from their wallets. The latter could involve (a) changing my product, or: (b) finding nontraditional venues.

Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it!

In the Mojave Preserve

Last fall, The Wiffee and I made a trip to Lone Pine and Death Valley. We took the scenic route through part of the Mojave Preserve in southeastern California, an area set aside to keep the region looking natural and primitive.

I've inserted a painting I recently finished. It's a small painting (8"x10" / 20cm x 25cm) and will probably appear on my Website one of these days (if I don't first sell it at an upcoming art studios tour later this month).

One thing I liked about the view is that sense of space I love in the desert. You just know those mountains are miles and miles away. And in the desert, things aren't so cluttered up that you can't see things like that!

That's why I'm so attached to the tagline that appears on my Website and stationery: The Vast Spaces of the Southwest!

Wind In the Pass

The Banning Pass (aka the San Gorgonio Pass) is an area west of Palm Springs, CA. It separates the low desert from the coastal-influenced weather. It tends to be REALLY windy there due to differences in humidity and temperature. Most of the time, the wind blows from west to east, often at considerable velocities (25mph+).

The view I've shown in this painting is east of the pass. The wind is gusting as it often is as Mt. San Jacinto stands unmoving against the force of the wind. This is the first time I've attempted to depict blowing wind in a painting, and I expect I'll do more in the future. In my mind, deserts are windy places; at least, they often are. it seems reasonable to paint that aspect of one of my favorite habitat types.

Another Fall Painting

This is a painting I completed (and reworked) years ago. I'm sure if I were to do another version of it (which I'll probably do someday), I could make it even better using the skills I have evolved over the years.

My piece was inspired by a painting by my favorite 19th century artist, Thomas Moran. When I attended a retrospective of his work in (I think) 1998. The title is Cresheim Glen, Wissahickon, Autumn. Out of the many wonderful paintings in the exhibit, this is the one that transfixed me the most.

My work is, of course, not as nice as the painting that inspired it. However, this is an example of how I sometimes try to capture the feeling of a master's artwork without copying it directly. I'm sure I'll try again to glorify the beauty of the northeastern part of the US during fall, especially since we never see anything like this in the desert!

First Day of Autumn

Autumn is always an exciting time for me; in fact, sometimes I think I should have been a duck.

OK, I don't feel a need to migrate south or be shot at by duck hunters. But I want to find fall colors (not easy when you live in the desert!) and eagerly await the Big Three (to me) holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Funny -- if fall passes me by and I just don't get into it, I don't get into Christmas, either. Autumn seems to prepare me for Christmas.

I've shown this painting before, but it's one of my favorite fall paintings, as small as it was (8"x10"/20cm x 25cm):

We don't get many of these colors in the West. Cottonwood and aspens turn a brilliant yellow, and some aspens can develop orange-red leaves, as well. But in the desert, we don't get colors at all except for those few areas where water exists and cottonwoods are growing.

However, if one travels into the mountains, one is more likely to see fall color -- yellow, anyway. (Poison ivy sometimes turns red, but reds and oranges are limited to non-native plants planted along a town road or in a yard).

This painting shows a scene along a hiking trail on the grounds of the Wildlands Conservancy, a group that, like the Nature Conservancy, acquires land and sets it aside to preserve it.

The weather has been hot in the desert, so it just doesn't seem like autumn yet. I'm hoping that will change soon!

Borrego Palms

It almost feels funny doing a painting in a vertical format. But sometimes ya just gotta do it!

This is a group of fan palms alongside a creek that is normally dry. The scene is in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA in the afternoon. "Borrego palms" is the title of the painting, not necessarily the name of the palm group. It just sounded good and helps identify where these palms are.

I can imagine the native borregos (bighorn sheep) enjoy coming to the stream further uphill, away from human view, and getting lots of water while they can.

By summer, of course, the stream will be dry, waiting for the next rainstorm to restart the downward course of water. But on this day, I was able to enjoy the trickle of water and the rustle of palm fronds in the breeze. I'm sure the local critters did, too.

By the way, I've been posting small (8" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm) paintings that I've included in my "art on a budget" Website page. I believe any of those pieces would look great in your home or office!

Ocotillo Wash

This is a mostly accurate rendition of a place in La Quinta, CA (near Palm Springs). I say "mostly" because the wash is really a trail, and I brought the ocotillo on the left closer to the viewer.

Otherwise, the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains are a series of fun jagged sawtooth peaks that give the area an incredibly rugged look.

I plan to paint more views of this area. This place has the look of what I'd consider quintessential California desert.