Painting in the Desert with Friends...

As many of you may know, I spent last week down in the low desert area of Southern California. I flew down to open a show in Palm Springs and paint the native California Palms found in the canyons of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. (I'll post those paintings soon.) I then spent a few days painting with a couple of friends in the Borrego Springs area, further south: Joe Forkan and Eric Merrell.

Here is a short video of Eric and Joe working on a morning painting:

If you can't see this view click here...

I did not get a shot of their finished paintings but if you want to see examples of their work you can visit their websites here:

Joe Forkan and  Eric Merrell

Both are experienced, dedicated landscape painters who spend a lot of time outdoors painting directly from life. What a pleasure it was to spend some time with them...

I will also post about the the shading system Eric made for himself that you see in this video. It is very clever. I am rarely a fan of painting umbrellas but Eric's set up created a much cooler space to work under. It was already pushing 90 degrees F at 9:30 am and under his umbrella it felt much cooler. Plus, those black panels reduced the amount of light bouncing into his eyes and on to the canvas. A good thing.

I must make something similar myself before I return to the desert!

TJK

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Would you like to improve your outdoor painting skills in Italy next September? If so, click here to learn about my annual Plein air Tuscany! workshop.

If you want info send me an email requesting a FAQ Sheet. The US dollar is strong against the Euro right now so there may never be a better year to go than in 2015. Registration is open and folks ARE signing up!... (Seven spots left!)