Winter arrived here in the Coachella Valley this weekend. After two days of tumultuous weather, blue skies revealed the storm's beneficent gift—white-clad mountain ranges framing Palm Springs. I don't remember the last time Mt San Jacinto wore white before Thanksgiving. The sartorial rules have changed and I don't mind a bit.
My sister, Terez Tyni, and her friend, Margrete Koreska—artists from Paso Robles (central California)—drove down to participate in a two-day plein-air workshop at The Living Desert. The world-famous zoological and botanical attraction was a perfect venue to essay new techniques in capturing outdoor imagery.
I helped schlepp the art supplies and watched as instructor Cynthia Britain demonstrated her technique in depicting the distinctive desert flora.
As the Laguna Beach-based artist deftly interpreted the xeriscape arrayed before her, I wandered off to explore, reveling in having the park almost to myself. Dirt paths trail off tantalizingly and you find yourself exploring the flora of North America and Africa's desert regions, from the Colorado to Chihuahua, Mojave to Madagascar.
The barrel cacti garden caught my eye as did the lava-strewn scape dominated by a single cactus.
Because of the cool temps, many of the animals were unusually active late morning. The coati, a raccoon-like mammal with an engaging face and enormous prehensile tail, methodically explored his tree-studded enclosure in a curious circling motion, looking assiduously for buried insects. His mate watched his perambulations with interest from her grassy den.
The Mexican wolves living in Eagle Canyon, usually hiding on my earlier visits, were energetically running the circuit in their attenuated enclosure. I watched entranced as the lithe pair made the long loop again and again. I didn't even attempt to capture them on camera. When I finally pulled myself away, they were still in fluid motion.
Detouring to one of my favorite hidden spots—a rush-enclosed pond home to endangered pup fish and turtles—I was riveted by a new bronze depicting a pair of prehistoric raptor birds engaged in mid-flight attack.
Checking back in on Terez's art class, I admired the instructor's emerging landscape before heading off for the second half of the Wildlife Wonders show in the intimate amphitheater, snapping a photo of the resident ocelot, a leopard-lookalike known for its manual dexterity and leaping prowess.
After lunch, the class eventually wended its way to the palm-tree berm gracing the new administration building's back patio where they sought to emulate Cynthia's technique. When I returned to the zoo after a get-away—bearing Starbucks lattes—I couldn't figure out where they were ensconced and had to solace myself with my gingerbread latte while watching the model train guys pack up their G-scale toys. When we finally rendez-voused in the parking lot, the coffees were lukewarm but graciously received.
Day Two
Kirk returned with me Sunday to The Living Desert where we made a few purchases from the Palo Verde Nursery during the park's annual plant sale.
I love the hordes of verdins and finches gorging on the niger-filled socks hanging throughout the nursery.
It was a true Winnie-the-Pooh blustery day with palm fronds strewn on the Palm Desert roads leading to the zoo.
The venue was almost deserted and the butterfly exhibit was closing early because of the plastic tent walls flapping furiously in the wind.
When we found Terez and company finishing up their second day of plen-air technique, they were once again painting the same landscape from beneath the protective patio shelter. Seems the woolly weather negated any forays into the park's exposed regions.
Check out Terez Tyni's award-winning work at her website.
Check out Margrete Koreska's colorful artwork and handmade jewelry at her website.
Some final photos from this most magical place...
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