The 29 Palms Art Gallery will host an art reception on Saturday, June 3, to celebrate the new June exhibition! The gallery will be open all day, and reception hospitality will be served on the gallery patio from 4 to 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend and meet the artists. Admission is free.
Featured in the West Wing in June are the drawings of Ellen Saunders. Her show ‘Kitchen Art’ will feature colored pencil portraits of more than thirty edible plants with a focus on the beauty of their form, color and texture. Her inspiration was not only from childhood kitchen and garden experiences but from ancient Roman and Egyptian depictions of their food in frescoes, evidence of the life processes that they share with all living things, as well as their role in sustaining life.
The East Gallery features Deven Watson with a show titled “Recovery: Rest and Reset”. An injury restricting mobility forced Deven to re-evaluate life, and in doing so to re-explore the skills from a digital photography degree, and crafts such as crocheting she learned from her grandmother. Adding beaded jewelry to her repertoire, she now creates a range of items including hanging décor, clothing accessories, tortoises and Joshua trees. Artists’ Guild members will display a variety of new works in the Members Room this month.
The exhibition will be on display at the gallery June 1-25, open Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The historic 29 Palms Art Gallery is located at 74055 Cottonwood Drive at the corner of National Park Drive, in Twentynine Palms, CA. For more information, visit www.29palmsartgallery.com.
Looking for something fun to do? Check out the City of Twentynine Palms Parks & Recreation Department’s first-ever Paint Date on Friday, February 3. At $25 per person, Paint Date is the perfect adventure for a girls’ night out or an early Valentine’s Day celebration, or just to brush up on your art skills. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Luckie Park Activity Center, 74325 Joe Davis Dr. All supplies and light refreshments are included! Space is limited, so sign-up before Friday, January 27, at the Parks & Recreation Department office, 74362 Joe Davis Dr. For more information, contact Community Events Coordinator Scott Clinkscales at (760) 367-7562 x1021.
Date: SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 | 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Fees: $60 (1 person) | $100 (2 people)
Instructor: Janis Commentz, Artist
Ages: Adults
Enjoy hearty appetizers and festive beverages while enjoying the evening with friends… or your favorite date. All skill levels are welcome!
Dress code: Painting attire. Space is limited to 20, so register early! Supplies & materials included.
December 1-31, 2022
29 Palms Art Gallery, 74055 Cottonwood Drive
Sonja Krastman
Desert Crawl: Details & Disruptions in the Desert
The world is so nuanced. Nothing is simple. We are all complex beings with layers and layers of life. It is this idea that drives every piece I make. My work is about building and excavating layers while allowing the mark-making process to direct the work. Just as in life, we must let the spontaneous and unexpected enjoy some of the richest moments, so in my art, I will enable that space in the process. In my work, I try to create and capture moments, and then I invite viewers to experience and interpret my pieces for themselves – as, in life, we all experience moments differently.
Lisa Hwang
IKIGAI – Project 51
IKIGAI is the Japanese word for finding pleasure and purpose in life and a reason to get up every morning. In honor of my 51st dance around the Sun, May 29, I will paint 51 paintings that resonate with me regarding IKIGAI. Lately, I have struggled with finding my pleasure and purpose in life. After raising my son as a single mother (he is 26 now), I became an empty nester in 2018. I moved from Philadelphia, PA, to the west coast in June 2016. I spent three years traveling as a digital nomad and decided to make Joshua Tree, CA, my home base in December 2018. Using art as therapy, my goal is to explore and identify the pleasure and purpose of my life. The 51 paintings will utilize watercolor and acrylics as the medium, along with HAIKUs, short-form poetry initially from Japan.
2022 WEED SHOW THEME: A WONDERFUL WEEKEND IN “29”
Just What Is The Weed Show?
The Weed Show is one of Twentynine Palms’ oldest and most unique artistic traditions. This annual display, now in its seventh decade, features artistic arrangements of indigenous desert vegetation as well as found objects, both natural and man-made – a desert rendition of the traditional concept of floral display. Each show follows a specific theme. Entries are judged on the subject matter, use of desert vegetation, accessories, artistic composition, and originality. Awards are granted in nine categories, with a “people’s Choice” award to be decided by visitors to the exhibition.
The show’s roots go back to July 1940, when the Women’s Club of Twentynine Palms invited Pasadena printmaker Mildred Bryant Brooks to deliver a lecture on “The Art of Etching.” Legend has it that the local ladies, ever mindful of etiquette, were deeply embarrassed by the lack of fresh flowers to decorate the podium and honor their esteemed guests. The ladies of the club expressed their apologies to Brooks, who is then reputed to have said, “Why do you need fresh flowers when you have so many beautiful weeds?” The ladies then dispatched two of their members to gather sun-dried desert flora from the grounds of the Twentynine Palms Inn, which they brought back for Brooks to arrange.
The Weed Show made its official debut the following year, in 1941. Initially held in private homes, its popularity soon grew to the point where it became a bona fide community event. After the Women’s Club disbanded in 1976, sponsorship of the show passed to the Twentynine Palms Gardening Club. Then when the Gardening Club disbanded, the Historical Society revived the show, which has been going strong ever since.
It is one of Twentynine Palms’ most characteristic events. The Weed Show highlights the beauty of the local flora, the skill of our town’s artisans, and the history and culture of Twentynine Palms itself.
For more information on The Weed Show, visit the Twentynine Palms Historical Society’s website.
LAND ESCAPE ART EXHIBIT
Black Rock Nature Center | July 10 – August 27
Joshua Tree National Park management is pleased to announce a new art exhibition by former Mojave National Preserve Artist in Residence, Natalie Larsen. Land Escape is a series of works on paper about her 2019 residency. Through intricate and layered drawings, Larsen creates a rich depiction of the Mojave Desert.
As the descendent of Mormon pioneers, Larsen has struggled with the complex history present in the desert landscape and her inheritance of its legacy; however, she says, “when I spend time in the desert, I feel at peace.” A Pittsburg native, she still finds herself creating work about the desert and her family’s ties to its settlement.
She was an artist-in-residence prior to the 2020 fires, and this body of work is a memorial to the Mojave as it was in 2019. Spending significant time in the Cima Dome area, so many of her drawings are of places that are very different now. “It was important to me to work from a place of remembrance for what I saw in 2019… There is a genre in art called ‘Memento Mori,’ paintings and drawings that reflect on mortality… For me, these drawings serve as Momento Mori for the Mojave.”
The exhibition will run from July 10, 2022, until August 27, 2022, at the Black Rock Art Gallery in the Black Rock Nature Center. Located at 9800 Black Rock Canyon Rd, Yucca Valley, CA 92284, the building is open weekend hours only, Friday–Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
29 Palms Artists’ Guild Members Summer Show
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 2 | 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The 29 Palms Artists’ Guild member artists will present a group exhibition in the Pickering Room to represent 29 Palms Artists’ Guild members going back to founders John Hilton and Kirk Martin through to today’s inspiring artists.
The Guild members are the lifeblood of the 29 Palms Art Gallery. This all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)3 Guild was started by eight artists in 1951-52. The Artists’ Guild opened the permanent gallery space in 1963, and it continues to be operated and supported by Guild members today. Its mission is to present high-quality art, encourage creative growth through innovative educational programs, and offer an inclusive environment for artists and community members to meet, exchange ideas, and create art. The diversity of this exhibition reflects an ever-changing artistic community as well as the Gallery’s roots and traditions.
The Artists’ Guild Members Summer Show will run from July 1 through August 21, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, July 2, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The 29 Palms Art Gallery will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Friday through Sunday. For more information on this year’s summer show, visit 29palmsartgallery.com.
Perfectly Unique‘s July Adult Paint Night is a mason jar scene with a patriotic color scheme! Their artist will teach you different techniques to create your own masterpiece on an 11×14 canvas. As always, you are more than welcome to bring your own beverages and snack, but they will have some beverages available at the store. For more information or to reserve your spot, visit their website.
Sand in My Shoe: Summer in the Mojave is the theme for the summer Art in Public Places exhibition at Twentynine Palms Visitor Center and Gallery, which will be on display from June 4 through July 29, 2022.
The artwork of this show reflects the theme of summer in our Mojave Desert and is expressed in painting, photography, mixed media, and 3-Dimensional work. The theme honors the late Helen Bagley’s book, Sand in My Shoe. The book chronicles the family’s homesteading days in Twentynine Palms starting in 1927, their challenges in creating a home, businesses, and community in the hot, dry, and sandy desert, and how they learned to adapt to and love life in the Mojave.
The opening day for the show is Saturday, June 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Twentynine Palms Visitor Center and Gallery.
In addition to the exhibition, Art in Public Places is spotlighting historical Mural #10, featuring homesteaders Frank and Helen Bagley and The Bagley Store, now the site of the Historic Plaza in Twentynine Palms.
Mural #10 – Frank & Helen Bagley and the Bagley Store
Art in Public Places exhibitions are presented by the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC) of the City of Twentynine Palms. The Twentynine Palms Visitor Center and Gallery is located at 73484 Twentynine Palms Highway at the corner of Desert Queen Avenue in downtown Twentynine Palms. Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
29 PALMS ART GALLERY JUNE EXHIBITION
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 4 | 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Featuring Dean Mayo, Naomi Brown, and Artists’ Guild Members
A National Park in My Backyard by Dean Mayo
As he began his career as a photographer, Dean combined his two passions: golf and photography. By blending his passions, Dean started Foretography, specializing in golf course photography. It was a very natural transition for him since his early career as a PGA Golf Professional trained his eye to observe students’ swings to help them improve and visualize the shots he wanted to hit on the courses he played.
As his love for photography grew, Dean ventured to capture the fantastic landscapes in his immediate area and discovered and fell in love with Joshua Tree National Park. Today, Dean would guess that landscape photography accounts for 90% of the images he takes.
Desert Skies by Naomi Brown
Naomi’s influence on her art started when she was young, growing up in Twentynine Palms, CA, next to Joshua Tree National Park. The simple beauty and amazing colors inspired her to be an artist. She is very passionate about her Southwest surroundings and the underlying western lifestyle she now enjoys living in Queen Creek, AZ. She tries to portray this through each piece of her work. Naomi wants to engage and inspire the viewer and let them feel as though they have walked right into one of her paintings and be in the moment.
The 29 Palms Art Gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information about the June Exhibition, visit the 29 Palms Art Gallery’s website.
