Art

The Waterways

/ Merilee / 5 Comments

There is a place in the desert where I like to go every time I am there.  I call it The Waterways.  It’s an area where, when there is water from rains, it collects in long, undulating, depressions in the mud.  When the mud is dry, the waterways are white and salty, with cracks in the mud surface.  But when there is rain, the water collects in the depressions, reflecting the sky and turning the whole are into a magical spectacle. I call them The Waterways.  Earlier this month, they were filled with water from day after day of rain.

Oil on Linen Board

16″ x 20″

Captured in the wild, refined in the studio.

Atmospheric River

/ Merilee / 4 Comments

Last month I made my way out to the desert to paint.  I like going from October thru April, when it’s cooler.  Actually, January is my favorite month to work in the Death Valley area.  It’s cold in the morning and usually pretty mild mid-day.  The sun doesn’t burn my skin through my clothing when I’m standing in it for hours painting.

This past November, however, was a little different.  It rained.  And rained.  Then it rained some more.  An atmospheric river decided to come into California and wring itself out in the deserts.  It didn’t make a great situation for painting outside, however, I was able to make a few starts while drops fell that I could finish either back in my room or at home.

This view knocked my socks off one of the days when I was turning around in a 360 to see the clouds moving across the sky.  Then I saw it.  And said, “that’s it.”  The quintessential line of dark blue desert mountains silhouetted against the sky.  But this time it had heavy, water-filled clouds slowly moving across it from west to east, dropping pockets of rain.  So I painted it, trying to catch that watery vibe.

Atmospheric River

12″ x 24″

Oil on linen