Mountain Center, California
10"x 8", oil on linen panel
Just after dawn, I hike into this location near Morris Creek on the southwest corner of the San Jacinto Mountain Range in southern California.
This granite mountain range is a mix of high desert and alpine plant life, such as the Century Plants shown here together with Manzanita and stately pine trees on the distant Pyramid Peak.
As I paint, my emotional response to the scene is to try and capture the contrasts of the glacier polished granite boulders as they pass from the cool dawn colors into the bright, clear light of direct sun.The day before, my sister and I explored an area about 100 yards south of here which contained 8 indian griding holes in a large, flat granite slab. This was the home of a people called Cahuilla (Ka-we'-a), a name that translates in English as "master" or "the great nation". They have lived in this area since 1100 A.D. or longer.
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