Scrambling and Painting in the Desert Feeds my Soul

I absolutely adore scrambling around on giant rocks in the sunshine, both the physicality and the figuring out HOW to climb over, under and through these beauties makes me incredibly happy. The body movement this creates is unlike anything you can find naturally anywhere else, and that translates into how and what I end up painting when I’m out there. Its different than working at home, in an oak forest or a city. Those rocks literally give off an energy that is palpable and thrilling. Everything painted in the desert was done plein air, outside, literally ON the Rocks or IN the sand or both. Some are representational, and some abstract, capturing the energy I feel when I’m there. The difficulty of painting in wind and sun that dries your paint too fast, or blows sand and ephemera onto your surface is part of the scene, one that is joyful in having that bright illumination lighting up the colors that just can’t be seen the same way indoors. Consequently, there are imperfections and more messiness than I might otherwise have, but I’ve decided to leave them all as they were painted ~ fresh and in the moment. This has been a balm to my soul in this upside down crazy divisive, covid, and war-torn world of ours.

I had a 10 yard roll of canvas rolled up on the top of the rock. I would paint a part, then roll it up and keep on painting until I had completed all 10 yards.

I saw cute little lizards climbing on the rock and painting when I’d step away. Though we didn’t see any, there ARE Snakes around the area, so we’d roll it up and put all the paint in a closed up box to keep any critters out at night or when we were out hiking, though I’m sure they could have gotten in anyway if they wanted to.

Its hard to tell, but this painting is 94”‘ x 54,” Acrylic on raw canvas

The Beavertail Cactuses were starting to bloom when we were there! Pastel on Arches paper 30 x22”

When I’m in the Desert, I feel the Universe in Ecstatic Motion. Pastel on Arches paper 30” x 22”

Ah, Desert color. Pastel on Arches paper 30” x 22”

Also, hard to tell, here, but this painting is 12.5 FEET x 60” Acrylic on raw canvas. See below

If you want to see any of these, have any questions or just want to chat, please feel free to reach out to me at dancinarts@gmail.com. Shine on.

Tar Lines Installation

Riding my bike down a country road last year, I was stopped in my tracks by the most graceful tar lines covering the cracks in the asphalt. We’ve all seen these tar lines pretty much everywhere, our entire lives, and mostly ignore them. But this day, they seemed to jump off the road.


I respond to organic shapes, often dancing their lines and shapes with my body, when out walking in the woods or along a road. My paintings reflect this dance, and when I saw those tar lines, I felt them dancing inside me. I got off my bike and took photos and a video walking down the middle of the road.

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