On the Road to Grafton from Rockville

With the promise of Spring and two vaccine shots in the arm, I'm looking forward to more outdoor adventures in the desert soon. I've been getting lost in my paintings lately; where I envision myself walking amid the creosote and sage in some lonely wash in the Back of Beyond. It's been a most interesting year, if you could put Covid aside. It was a year for me where I was able to make a quantum leap in my painting.

Now that may sound a bit egotistical but it's not because, for me, my confidence grew to new dimensions. I never feared squeezing the tubes onto a clean palette.

Over the past few weeks I have revisited a few more "save for a rainy day" ideas. Early Morning near Rockville began as an oil sketch at the side of gifted Utah painter Kate Starling. In a magical bit of serendipity I called her out of the blue back in 2008 and was blown away when she invited me to paint with her. I was headed out to the Vermillion Cliffs as a true fledgling painter. I never expected to paint alongside a Master like Kate.

That day led me to Paul and Susan Bingham in nearby Mt Carmel which began a lifelong friendship. As owners of the Maynard Dixon Legacy Museum they hosted annually some of the finest artists in America. The Binghams organized "Maynard Dixon Country" which was a unique gathering of artists and collectors. Even though I basically sucked I was able to get an invite to the Big Bash in 2009. And after that, having made true friends with over 20 of the best artists in America, my life was changed.

Always amazing how one single action, like a phone call, can change your life forever. Kate Starling put me on the path.

A few years later, Mark Fehlman (who I met through the Binghams) invited me to paint with him in the Anza Borrego Desert Park. We parked at this spot on Pinyon Wash one March afternoon and it took my breath away. We painted for 6 hours out there. I've tried this painting many times, but this week I think I finally got somewhere.

Mark is a very accomplished artist who has won the Borrego Springs Plein-Air "Best in Show" for his work. That aside, he's great fun to paint with and loves to play loud music while we push the paint around.

There is great promise on the horizon and I'm excited to step back into the Real World soon.