Joshua Tree National Park - Artist in Residence Day 4

A Day of Painting plus Pappy and Harriet's

A fun but exhausting day, I was at the school from 9am to 4pm, painting with the 6th graders.  I love the excitement and stress of working on projects like this.  Pressed for time with lofty goals for a fantastic outcome, and working to figure out each kid's personality, strengths, and self doubts in order to coax something great from them that they can recognize and feel good about.  Until today, the kids had all been relatively easy to work with.  This day was filled with challenges.  We came close to finishing one painting, and made more progress on another.  

I had a little time to myself in the evening, then went out with a ranger friend for dinner and then to Pioneer Town to hear a couple bands perform at the legendary Pappy and Harriet's.  We were in luck, there were still tickets at the door, and we were treated to a fantastic performance by Jane Wiedlen (of the Go-Go's) and her music partner in their new band, Elettrodomestico.  They were fantastic, and followed by Sumo Princess.  Pappy and Harriet's is this somewhat magical palace of music in the middle of nowhere that draws patrons from LA and NYC.  Some remarkable musicians have been known to drop by to perform a set, such as Paul McCartney last year, who probably hadn't played such a small venue in decades.  I can certainly see the appeal, playing an intimate venue sounds far more personally rewarding than a stadium show, though of course a successful career would demand performances that accommodate the fans.  If you're curious about Pappy and Harriet's, check out this recent article about its fascinating history:  https://www.palmspringslife.com/pappy-and-harriets/.  I'm sure I'll be back.

Progress on one of the collaborative paintings.

Piettro Straccio and Jane Wiedlen.

Imagine the stories that Go-Go's case could tell...