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Tony Foster, Carl Borg and More

Two Views of Sleeping Ute, courtesy of Tony Foster

With Desertscapes behind us for another year, the theme of desert-influenced art continues in these exhibits locally and elsewhere in the West. Sacred Places—Watercolour Diaries from the American Southwest opens May 18, 2012 (through July 14) at Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe. British adventure artist Tony Foster models all the “best practices” for plein air painters. He travels far into the wilderness, hiking 12-14 miles a day, in the style of early exploration artists. He keeps an expedition-style log and annotates his paintings with journal entries, as well as quartz crystals, glass beads, quail feathers, arrowheads and sand–all collected…

New Gallery for Borrego Springs, Paul Grimm for Sale

By Ann Japenga

The former Borrego Valley Foods store, a mid-century modern building prominently located on Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs, has been purchased by the Borrego Art Institute for a new gallery featuring plein air desert artists. With Borrego’s vast desert wilderness, the Institute’s commitment to plein air painting and a significant modernist building—look for this to become a destination for artists and fans of California Impressionism. The building was designed in 1949 by La Jolla architect William Kesling, known for his Streamline Moderne style. For the renovation, the Institute enlisted award-winning architect Richard Orne–formerly of LA and now a Borrego resident.…

Desertscapes, Armentrout-Welch Collection, Swinnerton and more

By Ann Japenga

March and April 2012 are packed with desert art events crowned by Desertscapes, the third annual Valleywide celebration of desert art. Participants include the City of Palm Desert, the Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts at College of the Desert, the Coachella Valley Watercolor Society, the Desert Art Center, the Palm Springs Art Museum, California Desert Art and others. Scroll to the end for more non-Desertscapes March and April events. For additional Desertcapes scheduling: http://desertscapes.net/ Desertscapes events: Opens April 2nd-28th, April 14th reception and Appraisal Day: the Historical Society of Palm Desert presents an exhibit of Jimmy Swinnerton and…

Terry Masters Reception February 11th

By Ann Japenga

Terry Masters is the most respected name in desert art, but it’s not always easy to locate either the man or his work. While other artists rush to openings or mingle over martinis, he’s likely to be off alone painting a rocky crag in the moonlight. So don’t miss the chance to finally meet the elusive master and see his new show at Howard Schepp Fine Art on El Paseo in Palm Desert. The exhibit opens February 1st, with a reception for the artist on February 11th. Masters is the Coachella Valley painter most aligned with the spirit of the…

Events Boost Agnes Pelton’s Star

By Ann Japenga

The Agnes Pelton hometown revival gathers steam in 2012 with several big events honoring the Mystic Genius of Cat City. Sunday, January 22—Nancy Strow Sheley presents a talk on Pelton at the Cathedral City Historical Society. An associate professor of English at Cal State University, Long Beach, Sheley has written and spoken extensively on Pelton. Meet in the Cathedral City Library Community Room, 33-520 Date Palm Drive, at 2 pm. For information: Janey Ash (760) 321-6577 Sunday, February 12—Tour Pelton’s former home and studio, as part of the Cathedral City Historical Society’s first annual Historic Home Walking Tour. Owners Peter…

Richard Steinheimer’s Trains on Exhibit in NYC

By Ann Japenga

There is nothing like a train to accent the space and scale of the desert. The two go together just about as well as deserts and smoketrees. One man who knew this perhaps better than anyone was Richard Steinheimer, one of the world’s best railroad photographers. Now fans of trains, deserts and the towering (he was 6’6”), lovable “Stein” have a chance to see the photographer’s work at the Robert Mann Gallery in New York through January 21st, 2012. Steinheimer—known as “The Ansel Adams of Railroad Photography”–died in May of Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, Shirley Burman, says it was the…

Lockwood de Forest Exhibit Opens in Palm Springs

By Ann Japenga

Lockwood de Forest, Mount San Jacinto from near Palm Springs, February 7, 1912 oil on artist's card stock, Collection of Palm Springs Art Museum, gift of Lisa de Forest through Sullivan Goss—An American Gallery

The Smoketree School abounds with colorful geniuses but we have not been able to claim an aristocratic all-star equivalent to a Thomas Moran or Albert Bierstadt. Thanks to the Palm Springs Art Museum and Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara, we now have a candidate for this position in the early desert painter Lockwood de Forest. An exhibit of his works opens December 17th, 2011, at the Palm Springs Art Museum, with a members’ preview on December 16th. De Forest is linked to the prestigious Hudson River School; he explored Palm Springs on horseback as early as 1904. His desert…

Desert Art Center 2012 Paint-Outs

By Ann Japenga

The free monthly paint-outs of the Desert Art Center are reason enough to become a desert painter if you aren’t one already. You’ll go to beautiful places, stand around and draw smoketrees, palaver with others as much or as little as you’d like. The paint-out ritual embodies the elemental and timeless pleasures of landscape art. These are not art classes. Anyone is welcome. You don’t even have to be an artist to tag along. This year’s treks are led by the supremely popular teacher and artist Elaine Mathews. For more on the Desert Art Center, a Palm Springs institution since…

Palm Desert Appraisal Day, November 19

By Ann Japenga

Due to the popularity of the first appraisal day last April, the Historical Society of Palm Desert will host another event on Saturday, November 19, 2011. Kevin Stewart, a foremost authority on desert paintings, will be there to give verbal valuations. This year the event encompasses more than desert art—Kevin can offer expert opinions on all your antiques and mystery items. Last year’s appraisal day turned up many classic desert paintings; there are no doubt countless more lurking in closets and storage units. This is a fun “Antiques Roadshow” style event. Come join in, even if you are just there…

Michael Gordon’s Portraits of Joshua Trees

By Ann Japenga

Long Beach photographer Michael E. Gordon is a champion of overlooked deserts, preferring the quiet corners of the Mojave to the more obvious drama of places like the Grand Canyon. Now he takes on a similarly ignored and yet most deserving desert resident–the Joshua tree–in an exhibit opening November 5, 2011, at the historic Kelso Depot in Mojave National Preserve. While spending time amongst the trees Gordon says he began to realize each was as “wholly distinct as humans. Each specimen seems infused with individual form, character and stories.” The tree was named by Mormon settlers who noted the prayerful…

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Blog Archives

Tony Foster, Carl Borg and More

New Gallery for Borrego Springs, Paul Grimm for Sale

Desertscapes, Armentrout-Welch Collection, Swinnerton and more

Terry Masters Reception February 11th

Events Boost Agnes Pelton’s Star

Richard Steinheimer’s Trains on Exhibit in NYC

Lockwood de Forest Exhibit Opens in Palm Springs

Desert Art Center 2012 Paint-Outs

Palm Desert Appraisal Day, November 19

Michael Gordon’s Portraits of Joshua Trees

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