Desert wildflower super bloom in watercolor.
En route to Phoenix, Arizona from Joshua Tree National Park we stumbled upon the holy grail of wildflower sighting.
Much to my delight, just after leaving the eastern exit of Joshua Tree the landscape turned from various tones of burnt orange, chartreuse and creamy mint colors to vibrant yellows and purples. I had been cautiously optimistic that we would catch the elusive and magical desert bloom on our way east - Mother Nature was certainly shining on us!
After arriving in Phoenix, we went to search of more strange and beautiful plants at the Desert Botanical Garden. The colors and shapes of native cactuses and succulents were otherworldly.
Below is a selection of the wildflower bloom and cactuses in watercolor and pen + ink. Enjoy.
10 lessons of van life
(In case you didn’t know, Nick and I have been living in our van- Vaughn- since mid January.)
Vaughn the Van has taught us a lot!
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
Somethings are out of your control - like wifi at campgrounds, stupid drivers, dust storms, national park closures due to government shut downs, dog injuries, cleanliness of public showers, etc. Be resourceful if you can, and patient if you can’t.
Everything has a space and everything in its place - your living space should be treated like your sanctuary. Keep the clutter to a minimum and put away everything you get out.
Be prepared for arguments - when two humans and two dogs live in 80 square feet there’s bound to be some conflict, intense communication and (hopefully) compassion + compromise.
Develop a “today is today” attitude - don’t worry about tomorrow, or at least worry about it LESS. Chances are good you can’t control the variables that will dictate tomorrow’s weather, traffic, people’s mood, the quality of the next campsite or the emails that are headed towards your inbox. What you can control is the decision to not be concerned with what hasn’t happened yet, instead enjoy that beautiful summit view and the ones you’re sharing it with.
You can survive with less - I literally have one drawer of clothes and a small cabinet for jackets + sweaters. (If you saw my closet at home, you’d know I LOVE clothes…) Do less loads of laundry, use less water when washing dishes, watch less Netflix - it’s not going to kill you.
Keep it simple - it’s pretty self explanatory. Just simplify EVERYTHING.
Not having service or the time to scroll is actually a good thing - really, what would you rather do, hike a mountain or surf Instagram?
Team work makes the dream work.
Speaking of pit stops, pee often - you never know where you’re going next.
Be present - there is so very much to see and do. There are so many views to take in, trails to hike, roads to travel, burritos to savor, flowers to smell, rocks to climb… don’t get distracted or you might miss all of it.
When things start to get weird in Joshua Tree.
The only way to create is if you’re willing to be conscious, intentional, present.
It also helps to be in a magical place like Joshua Tree where you can help but feel the juices FLOWING!
Once the creative energies start cooperating and collaborating, feel the flow - for better or worse - and just let it ride.
Here’s some more plein air little sketches. They’re all watercolor and pen & ink, what started as gestural landscapes morphed into abstract suggestions of the rock formations around the van.
Find your light, then stand in it.
Find what makes you feel unburdened.
Find what gives you reason.
Find what makes you feel alive.
And when you find what lights you up…. stand in it, and don’t ever let that feeling of flow and weightlessness leave you.
LIVE IN THE LIGHT.
Much of our lives are spent floating through the monotony because it’s easier or it’s all we allow ourselves. But what if you gave yourself the time to find what really fed your soul? Deep down we all have a spark and we know what feeds it - don’t stifle that light for the sake of others judgements, or the safety of an unfulfilling job or the expectations of society.
Take a risk, fulfill your potential and stand in your light.
Joshua Tree plein air painting
JOSHUA TREE, FEBRUARY 2019
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
- JOHN MUIR
(Back story: if you don’t know, now you do… I left Maine in November to join Nick in the Lone Star State, we were living in Corpus Christi for a month, then we moved into our van and have been traveling Westward ever since.)
Living in such a small space is challenging for a lot of reasons - one of which being the utter lack of “studio” space, another is that I don’t have much in the way of art supplies with me either. But the urge to create, and it is truly a deep compulsion for me, is always there. Sometimes it’s a whisper, sometimes it’s a wave, but the creative charge can’t be extinguished - even by tiny living.
VAN LIFE POP-UP STUDIO IN JOSHUA TREE
So what better place than Joshua Tree to just let it flow. Water color and pen + ink are my only options currently - both are mediums I don’t use often anymore but they’re easy to transport and easy to pack. So off went Nick to read + meditate on a rock while I took over all surfaces in the van and tried to just empty myself into some plein air sketching.
The following are a selection of pen + ink blind contour drawings, contour drawings and timed sketches with watercolor.
Are you living your ONE, best life?
You get ONE life.
Allow that sink in… You. Get. One. Life.
"If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing in style and on your own terms and nobody's goddamned else's." - Lucius Beebe
Let THAT nagging mantra in the back of your head help you make the decisions like -
Should we spend our entire summer building out a van?
Should I start this business on my own?
Should I climb that mountain?
Should we weather this storm?
Should I do the unexpected and leave the stable life I’ve created at home to travel all winter?