I recently took a trip to Palm Springs to check out the weather in summer. I’m thinking of relocating there and wanted to see if I could survive the heat. I also wanted to see what might inspire me to pick up the paint brushes.
On my first day, I discovered a Spanish-style bungalow court hidden away behind the shops downtown. I loved the the white-walled stucco buildings with their red tile roofs and the luxuriant green foliage and colorful flowers. And all the while the brown peaks of the San Jacinto mountains dominate the background, reminding us we are in a desert. (It was also 118º, another reminder of the desert environment.)
Summer in Palm Springs. It was 110º at 8:30 in the morning when I spotted my friend crossing a street in front of the famous Marilyn Monroe statue flanked by towering palm trees with the San Jacinto mountains rising in the background. I thought this was a perfect setting, and I caught my friend the moment he walked in front of Marilyn.
The next day, while riding along a lonesome road just outside Palm Springs, I spotted a house nestled in the landscape with the San Jacinto Mountains rising behind. I saw beauty in the harshness of the arid landscape combined with the intense heat of a summer’s day, and that inspired me to capture this moment in watercolor.
On my last morning while taking advantage of the free breakfast offered by my motel, I spotted a young boy sitting beside the swimming pool. It was hot, though not blisteringly so, and I could understand the boy’s desire to cool off in the refreshing waters. I wanted to capture the moment of the boy, the pool and the scene of palm trees and distant mountains.
I hope you enjoyed my trip to Palm Springs. I did. And I can’t wait to return.
