I went to Indian Canyons in Palm Springs. I went on a short trail I'd never been on, called Andreas Canyon. It was lovely! I got there at 8am and the sun was coming through the trees up the canyon, highlighting the gurgling stream. I was all by myself with the sound of the stream for music.
I started with a watercolor underpainting, then did an "impression" of the view in pastel. I love the natural palm trees with all the dead fronds hanging down like huge hula skirts! The sun highlights the edges in a warm orange color.
When I was done, I drove toward the main canyon visitor center and trailhead, but spotted a large group of plein air painters! I stopped to visit and found out they were taking a 3-day oil painting class from Mark Kerckhoff (from San Juan Capistrano). I got his information so I might take a class someday (maybe get a few oil paints first!).
