
10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper
With just a little rain the desert springs to life.
“Rain showers my spirit and waters my soul.”
-Emily Logan Decens

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper
With just a little rain the desert springs to life.
“Rain showers my spirit and waters my soul.”
-Emily Logan Decens

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper
Plein air
8″x8″ oil and sand on panel
White Sands, NM

24″x18″ pastel on sanded paper
I did this painting as a demo. I enjoyed painting for a group of friends/ students/ artists, and listening to live music. I started with a complimentary color study of the scene, and ended by being gifted with a snickers ice cream bar. It was a great afternoon!

Underpainting before denatured alcohol wash

Underpainting after alcohol wash.
I love the way an underpainting adds complexity to colors in way that is hard to duplicate.

Between sunset last night, and sunrise this morning I went to the camp talent show. We gathered out on a beautiful porch and enjoyed songs, and poems, stories, and jokes. The desert got darker and the community closer. I found myself thinking about the year we lived in Cuba. When we arrived, we had paperwork to fill out: name, passport number, home address, and then we had to list our skill and our talent. Those were two things that everyone should have to contribute to the community. As I enjoyed the talent show last night I thought how wonderful it was, and what talent I might offer up. What would your talent be if you had a minute, a week, a month, or a year to prepare? Think about it, perhaps we will meet next summer in the desert and by the light of the stars, share a little part of ourselves in a way we humans have for thousands of years.