Back to the desert...

My favorite time to visit the Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree National Park and the desert town of Twentynine Palms is spring...though in a drought year the blooming isn't quite as noticeable, it's still a lovely trip...starting as usual with (passenger) freeway sketching...

...sketching in Joshua Tree National Park, where I never seem to get tired of drawing rocks...and drawing them in a variety of ways...

..wonderful to discover the ruins of an old mill...in the 1920's miners found gold here and called their claim "Wall Street", but by the beginning of the Great Depression, no more gold was found, and a mill was brought here to process ore from other mines.

Breakfast at the Country Kitchen in Joshua Tree...and painting on the outskirts of the desert town of Twentynine Palms...

Then it's time to return home...more freeway sketching!

Sketching in the garden

...at Descanso Gardens, in La Canada...where I recently had the great pleasure of teaching a "Sketching on Location" workshop series.  One of the things I enjoy most is the preparation.  I try out ways to do things with simple means--just with line, just with values, and move on from there...as I plan, I hope everyone who comes will discover something, and have a great time!

To the desert and back...

Driving out to the desert and Joshua Tree National Park in December has become an annual tradition...here are some sketches from that trip.  Starting as always, with freeway sketching...

A visit to the lube shop, and heading out on the highway on an overcast day...

 The drive takes us on many miles of freeway, into desert terrain alternating with little desert towns along the way.









Drawing something familiar invites experimenting with new tools...here, a Japanese calligraphy brush pen and some water...

 The first day in Joshua Tree is very cloudy, gray and moody...

The next day the sun is shining brightly and all the desert color emerges 

as I draw in my favorite spot, Hidden Valley...

A quick sketch of our dear friend Richard over breakfast at a funky cafe in the town of Joshua Tree...























The time goes by so quickly, and then it's time
to head home, back to the city...I bought a child's set of water-soluble pastels with bright, saturated colors...something new to experiment with on the drive home!

At the Zoo...

Every year I take students to draw at the L.A. Zoo, so like to spend some time before hand sketching there, and plan out the route in my head.  Here are some of 2013's sketches...

The meerkats--always watching the skies...

 Watching the giraffe as he bends to nibble...

Okapi...

 Francois Langurs grooming, cassowary, echidna and koala...

And a few from years past...

Watching the watchers at Mahale Mountain...

Gita, the lovely Asian Elephant who died a few years ago...I believe she was posing for me!

The watchful world of the gorillas...