San Jacinto Mountains, California
8"x10", oil on linen panel
I drove from my Dad's house near Mountain Center, along Hwy 74 looking for a spot where I could paint these Century Plants and also capture the vastness of the high desert experience. I find the Century Plant to be the most interesting of all plants in this region. The name is a little miss leading, it blooms once in it's lifetime then dies. This happens between 20-30 years of age, not at 100 years as the name would have you believe. Additionally, it's part of the Aloe family and some species can grown up to 22' in height. The closest plant in the painting is about 8' tall.
If you ever have the chance to take Hwy 74 between Palm Springs and Anza, don't pass it up! In the 20 mile stretch, the altitude changes from 500' to over 5000' above sea level. The vegetation varies from arid desert to high brush, oak trees and eventually tall shady pines near the summit.
I parked in a turn out and surveyed the rolling drainage's for a suitable composition. The Spring-like conditions are perfect, no bugs, no snakes (yesterday we saw a Rattle Snake that was big and black), nobody stopping to see what I'm up to. The sun is really bright, almost blinding without my sunglasses on. My eyes ache after an hour of working on this plein air painting. In the distance is Butterfly Peak with an altitude over 6300'.
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