The Last Farm

The Last Farm

9 x 12 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

Miki Willa

When I was growing up in the Antelope Valley, the west side of the valley was filled with vast alfalfa farms. There was plentiful water from the artesian wells under the valley. In the few visits I have made back over the years, I have observed the decline of these farms. This last visit revealed only a couple of large green fields. I did see a very large herd of sheep along the road. I took this reference shot looking south from the south loop trail of the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. It may not be the last farm in the valley, but it is certainly one of the last.

Once again, I used the oranges from my Terry Ludwig and Great American soft pastels. I am really enjoying using these colors which have gone largely unused until I started this series. The paper I used for this painting and the Lupine painting was aubergine, a very nice complement to the oranges.

Lupine

Lupine

9 x 12 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

Miki Willa

When I was small, the lupine were all over this area. This year, there were few healthy plants among the poppies and goldfields. So few, in fact, that people created areas off the paths near the plants to take photos. In doing this, they killed every other living thing surrounding the lupine. This painting shows an area where this happened. It worked out well for me so that I could showcase the lupine, but it is not so great in the long run.

As I look at this photo of the painting, I can see a couple of things I need to address. The shadow area to the right of the lupine needs to be gone, but I need to add the cast shadow area to the left of the plant. Sometimes, in the morning, I don't see these things right away. I will fix this tomorrow, but I don't think I will re-post this. Just try and imagine it.

Overall, I am very happy with this painting. It really expresses what I was seeing and feeling at the moment. I was on a high trail to the east of yesterday's viewpoint. The path you can see is the one my sister-in-law and I walked on Sunday morning. If you followed that path around to the other side of the closest butte, you would come to the bridge from yesterday's painting. The mountains in the background are part of the Tehachapi Range. The buttes are part of the Antelope Buttes area.
Once again, I relied on Terry Ludwig pastels for this painting for the most part. The greens are Great Americans. I really like working with both these brands. I love the square sticks. I have much more success with this shape for all the different kinds of strokes I use. I am so happy that Great American has gone to the square format.

Tomorrow, I will work on a view from the poppy fields to the farmland and mountains to the south of the park. The west part of the Antelope Valley was filled with alfalfa farms when I was growing up. Most of them are long gone now. I was glad to see at least one left.

Desert Series #1 - Goldfields and Poppies

Goldfields and Poppies

9 x 12 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

Miki Willa

Goldfields are very small yellow-gold wildflowers that reflect brilliantly against the brilliant oranges of the California Poppies. There are also Lupin in several shades of purple. This scene is looking north as the North Loop Trail becomes the South Loop Trail in the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.

When I decided to do this series, I realized that I wanted to share my impressions of all the wonderful colors as well as the terrain. In this one, I included the path, but in most I won't. The bridge in the lower center is over a wash that is dry most of the year. There is another wooden bridge I will paint later that goes over a spring fed wash. It has a completely different look.

The oranges and yellows in this painting are Terry Ludwig soft pastels. He makes the most brilliant oranges I have tried.

Tomorrow, I will be working on another look at the distant colors from a higher vantage point and a different direction.

Deserts and wildflowers

Sketches from the Antelope Valley

Miki Willa

For the past week, I have been visiting the place of my childhood, the Antelope Valley in Southern California. The valley is very large and surrounded by wonderful mountain peaks which are covered with snow part of the year. The desert floor seem vast and empty at first. That is before you get to know it. The two major cities are Palmdale and Lancaster. If you drive east from Palmdale, you are into the land of Joshua Trees and buttes. This time of year, there are also carpets of wildflowers.

About 15 miles west of Lancaster is the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. I spent two mornings wandering the trails wondering at the intense golds, yellows, ochres, greens, and purples covering the desert floor and the sides of the Antelope Buttes. All of this set off by the clear blue skies.


This last photo shows how big the fields of color are from a distance. The first day, I took the trails that lead across the tops of the buttes. That is where I took this photo. The second morning there, I took a trail that led down into the area shown. The colors are amazing from a distance, but incredible when you are in the middle of them.

I am looking forward to working on my desert wildflower and geography series. Look for them starting tomorrow.