Artist Statement

We Ride At Dawn is a love letter to the community I've found in Joshua Tree, California since moving here in early 2020. The small white building with the blue door is Mas O Menos, where the original oil painting currently hangs: a favorite watering hole that stands alone on the outskirts of Joshua Tree.  I often meet up here with artist friends from across the high desert. This group arriving together on horseback is my expression of the particular pleasure — which is honestly somewhat new to me — of camaraderie. Sharing what you love with people you love. The scene is rendered in the warm, sun-baked palette of the Mojave — peachy pinks, dusty golds, and the cool blue of the mountains, the green of the cacti standing sentinel on either side. The brushwork is loose and alive.

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It was one of the great joys of my life when I revealed the painting in dramatic fashion to my friends and neighbors at said watering-hole.