Desert Artists

April is Desertscapes Month

For the second year in a row, the City of Palm Desert and organizations valley wide are hosting a monthlong tribute to early and contemporary desert artists. The event, known as Desertscapes, takes place in April at venues around the Coachella Valley. For schedules and updates, check back at the soon-to-be-launched website www.Desertscapes.net A new event this year is an appraisal day. The public is invited to bring in paintings and desert artifacts for an informal opinion from experts. This Desert Roadshow is a great opportunity to bring in those old artworks stashed under your bed. Watch the schedule for…

Captain Beefheart, Desert Artist, Dies

By Ann Japenga

Captain Beefheart was a rock-n-roll wildman, too avant garde—if that’s possible–for the likes of his friend Frank Zappa. But Don Van Vliet (his real name), who died on December 17, 2010, was also a visionary painter of the desert. Van Vliet grew up in Glendale and turned to art before he found music–sculpting animal figures at the Griffith Park Zoo as a boy. He was imprinted with the scent and space of the desert while attending Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster. The allure of psychedelic rock took precedence over art for a time in the 1960s, as giants like…

Film About Idyllwild Arts Legend Lora Steere Opens January 10th

By Ann Japenga

December 29, 2010–Lora Woodhead Steere taught for 16 years at the Idyllwild Arts Academy without ever taking a paycheck. She first came to the San Jacinto Mountains in 1890 as a toddler riding in front of her mother’s saddle. With her saint-like face and her mystical dedication to Tahquitz Peak, the acclaimed sculptor influenced scores of students to turn toward art and nature. Steere died in 1984. She’s becoming increasingly well-known these days thanks to exhibits and events organized by Idyllwild arts supporters. Now you can learn about Steere in a new film by 16-year-old Paris Deesing, a film student…

California Desert Art Featured in Palm Springs Life

By Ann Japenga

December 4, 2010–In the first major magazine article to acknowledge the Smoketree School by name, the December Palm Springs Life features an article on the desert painters and this website. Included are masterpieces of the genre, courtesy of Edenhurst Gallery and Palm Springs Art Museum. To fully enjoy the art, pick up the print version of the magazine, on newsstands now. CDA thanks Palm Springs Life for helping to secure a place for the Smoketree School in California art history. Link to the article: http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/Art-Culture/Winter-Spring-2011/The-Smoketree-School/

Indian Wells Destroys a Cherished Link to California Art

By Ann Japenga

November 21, 2010–Anyone driving down Highway 111 last week saw that the long-dreaded demolition of the Carl Bray Gallery has begun. A crew first tore off the roof that the artist had painstakingly reinforced with steel beams salvaged from the Indio railroad yards where he worked. By Friday, the 18-foot fireplace—made with stones from Berdoo canyon as well as favorites from the Bray kids’ rock collections–was exposed to view. The Indian Wells City Council voted to destroy the last trace of the town’s original village despite an outpouring of public dismay and the findings of an official environmental review saying…

Smoketree Painter Sally Ward Dies

By Ann Japenga

Sally Ward, an artist who lived for decades in Palm Springs, died in Tucson on November 16, 2010, at age 101. Fellow artists from Ward’s circle of friends who also passed away recently include Louise Tennyson and Edna Hollinger. All were part of a roving bunch of plein air painters from the Palm Springs Desert Art Center. They explored the canyons together and benefited from acquaintance with older, experienced landscape painters such as Wilton McCoy, Darwin Duncan and Karl Albert. Sally Ward was born in Montana and moved to Palm Springs in 1973. Like her friends, Sally was serious about…

Cheryl Jordan: Seeking the Heart of the 92256

By Ann Japenga

The heroes of early desert photography recognized that a time and place was passing long before anyone else came to the same conclusion. They had a way of seeing what would be missed. Mecca postmaster Susie Smith, for instance, documented the camps of workers building the Colorado River Aqueduct in the 1930s. Richard Steinheimer captured the now-extinct railroad shanties beside the Salton Sea. These photographers were “hyperlocal” before hyperlocal was a buzzword. Now, in the tradition of the early documentarians, photographer Cheryl Jordan explores the impermanence of Morongo Valley lifestyles in the “92256” exhibit at the Cactus Mart on Highway…

Gorge on Desert Art at the Highway 62 Open Studio Tours

By Ann Japenga

The big event of the 2010 desert art season is the Morongo Valley open studio tours coming up on the weekends of October 23 and 24 and October 30 and 31. More than 100 artists are included in the swath of land all the way from Morongo to Wonder Valley. Given the vast distances, the free, self-guided tour turns out to be mostly an exercise in crossing big spaces, punctuated by a few memorable drop-ins at select studios. It’s impossible to visit more than a few. So download a map or pick one up ahead of time at many locations…

Kevin Wong: Documenting the Desert’s “Mother Road”

By Ann Japenga

Kevin Wong, a photographer and adventurer based in Joshua Tree, is embarking on a project to document lives lived along the Mother Road (Route 66) in the remote desert towns of the Mojave Desert. While Route 66 gets a lot of attention, this particular stretch of highway is often overlooked. You can help Kevin on his way by donating as little as $1 via the website Kickstarter.com. But don’t wait because he has to raise $3,000 by August 14th. Here is Kevin’s introduction to his project: Dear Route 66 Enthusiast: My name is Kevin Wong and I am a professional…

Painting of Agnes Pelton’s Mountain Cabin Surfaces

By Ann Japenga

Mount San Jacinto, above Palm Springs, played a big role in Agnes Pelton’s life and vision. From the porch of her little house in Cathedral City the artist studied and painted the peak, a symbol to her of upward yearnings. At age 60, she moved physically closer to the mountain when she purchased a get-away cabin in the village of Thomas Mountain. For those of you who drive Highway 74 from the desert to Idyllwild, Thomas Mountain is the cluster of cabins on your left as you cross the open “Bonanza”-like plain through Garner Valley. Until now Pelton scholars have…

Page 8 of 11

« 1 … 6 7 8 9 10 11 »

Welcome

Links

Desert Artists

April is Desertscapes Month

Captain Beefheart, Desert Artist, Dies

Film About Idyllwild Arts Legend Lora Steere Opens January 10th

California Desert Art Featured in Palm Springs Life

Indian Wells Destroys a Cherished Link to California Art

Smoketree Painter Sally Ward Dies

Cheryl Jordan: Seeking the Heart of the 92256

Gorge on Desert Art at the Highway 62 Open Studio Tours

Kevin Wong: Documenting the Desert’s “Mother Road”

Painting of Agnes Pelton’s Mountain Cabin Surfaces

Search this site

The Latest News