A watercolor and colored pencil drawing I did from a photograph sometime in the winter of 1992. A lot of these pieces have no clear date on them, a terrible habit I would like to correct as I go along. I only can find a digital file of this piece right now, although it used to be framed. Journal entry mentions “Joshua copies completion 10/19” It was too big to get on the scanner so I had two files of it for years. I just now photoshopped it into one piece, maybe you can see a join just above the mountains.
I am pretty sure we were in Palmdale that Thanksgiving. The photographs I worked from are obviously springtime.
From the first time I saw the Joshua Trees they had a hold on me. They spoke to me. I did sketches of them as semaphores–how they hold up their hands in expression of universal emotions- the reason they are called Joshua trees, they throw up their hands and say, hey, check it out, the desert is pretty cool. The first time I visited Palmdale Elsie was up in arms–earthmoving equipment had moved into the wash behind the house, tearing up the desert for a housing development. Perhaps I am happy I never saw it in its pristine condition. The last time I visited, it was gratifying to see the wash still wild, deeply cut by winter storms, and Jo proclaiming the imminent flooding of nearby mega-houses.
Travels With Stevie 