Last month, masks. This Sunday, watercolor!

For last month’s art activation, we made masks of desert animals that you might see in and around the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve: Jackrabbits, cottontails, mice, owls, coyotes, and bobcats. There were three tables set up. One for cutting out the masks using templates, one for painting the masks, and one for decorating them! (SO MUCH GLITTER!)

It was crazy fun.

This Sunday (11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 10, 2019) we will paint watercolor images of the desert. All supplies are included. All ages are welcome. But before we get started on that, let’s look at the fun we had in October!

Poetry expanded on desert's beauty. Next Sunday? Cyanotype!

Our next activation at the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. We will make cyanotype images of desert rocks and plants! It’s a process rooted in photographic history that allows people to essentially take a photo without a camera. Please join us! All ages welcome. All materials will be provided. RSVP here.

Last month, participants in our art activation waxed poetic about the desert and its beauty. Participants first spent some time in the desert and recorded words that came to them. They returned to the visitor’s center with notebooks full of ideas and images and turned those into beautiful Haiku poems. Here’s a few examples of the beautiful poems and images they created.

Joshua trees

Baby Joshua

tree makes me happy because

it’s growing like me.

Ants

Feel like they will crawl

on me. They carry their dead

finding food. Hard workers.

-Anthony, 7

Tumbleweeds

Tumbleweeds. Loners.

Brittle beings in the sun

Quiet. Watching, still.

-Andrea

Squirrels under a

blueberry tree just feasting

fearless watching me.

-Nathan

The Rocks

Some are large and small

All different colors and shapes

They are just like us.

-Hunter

Raven’s craw pierces

The desert’s silent witness

And cuts through the heat

-Viv

Peace on Earth at the Preserve ... and MOAH

This Saturday, “Peace on Earth” opens at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster. The exhibition addresses concerns for the environment and the fragility of ecosystems that support animal life.

The Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center

Thoughts about the upcoming art show inspired me to go to Prime Desert Woodland Preserve a few days ago to learn more about the animals that survive there. I began the exploration talking to a friendly park ranger in the Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center, which is open Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 She let me know that the animals that rangers had seen the most lately were cottontails, black-tailed jackrabbits, ravens, ground squirrels and quail. Coyote sightings also had been reported that day by visitors, she said.

Animal skull inside the interpretive center

 The Center is filled with wonderful ways to get to know the animals. Images of desert animals lined the walls with descriptions. There was even a table where I could touch an antler, a bird wing and an animal skull!

 I also learned from the informative displays that 100 years ago, spotting wild animals, such as bobcats, bears and rattlesnakes, was a daily occurrence in the area, and sometimes a source of danger for those living in the Antelope Valley. In 1917, packs of wolves were reported wandering in the El Mirage area.

Cottontail at the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve

 After spending so much time exploring the interpretive center, I didn’t have a lot of time to hike. But during the time I did spend on the trails, I saw more than a half dozen cottontail rabbits. They were adorable.

 And I’m pretty sure I’m going to see more rabbits—or at least artistic interpretations of them—Saturday at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History.

“Peace on Earth” art by Bobbie Moline-Kramer

 “Peace on Earth” opens with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019). The Museum of Art and History is located at 665 W Lancaster Blvd, Lancaster, California 93534.

 The exhibition will continue through April 20.

 Artists featured in “Peace on Earth” include: Bobbie Moline-Kramer, Catherine Coan, Chie Hitotsuyama, Clayton Campbell, Cynthia Minet, David Adey, Debbie Korbel, Devin Thor, Emily Ding, Emily Maddigan, James Griffith, Jane Fisher, Jen Meyer, Kim Kimbro, Laura Larson, Laurence Vallières, Laurie Hassold, Laurie Sumiye, Lori Michelon, Lori Pond, Luke Matjas, Margo Ray, Matthew Floriani, Nancy Evans, Robb Putnam, Samuelle Richardson, Scott Yoell, Simone Gad, Spenser Little, Stephen O’Donnell, Tami Bahat and Zachary Mendoza.

“Peace on Earth” art by James Griffith