Whitewater Preserve

The Plein Air Artists of Riverside are painting this week and next at the Whitewater Preserve. This is our first time at this beautiful oasis in the desert and will be our first exhibit at their beautiful ranger station. The exhibit will start April 3, 2009 and be up through the month of April. If all goes well we are hoping this venture will turn into an annual event.

On Wed. a group of us headed out to Whitewater, many of us have never even heard of this place until I was phoned by Asia Horton earlier this year. She explained that they would love to have some association with an artists group in the area and when she found out about PAAR she knew we were the one to ask. After many phone calls between our locations chair Ada Passaro, Asia and myself the event is now taking place. Unfortunately Asia has been put on maternity rest and will be unable to help with the event, but Frasier Haney the preserve manager and his assistant Jack have stepped up to the plate and welcomed us with open arms. Jack took a group of us on a tour of the location, telling us a little about the preserve and what they hope to accomplish. Believe me they have accomplished so much and this is worth the drive to see. As the president of PAAR I am very happy with this new association and look forward to our exhibit and reception. Our reception will be April 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. I hope all of you will be able to make it out.

As Jack was taking us on our tour I spotted this wonderful algae pond, with the distant San Gorgonio snow packed mountains. I knew this would be the perfect place to set up and paint for me. As I was telling fellow painter and friend Susan DeArmond she agreed this would be the spot for her as well. The sage in the foreground had a wonderful shadow underneath (I was hoping that was all as Jack had warned us to be careful and on the lookout for rattle snakes). Yikes something I did not want to even hear! The middle mountain had some patches of wildflowers that I am hoping will be out even more next week.

I also wanted to bring your attention as you traveled upward into the painting to the snow packed mountains. Although they were subtle they seem to have a glow about them in the distance. I will be making giclee prints of this painting and notecards. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing. shacone@aol.com I am not sure if this is the one that will be for sale in the exhibit, but if not, it will be for sale from me privately.

All in all it was a beautiful morning for painting and I cannot wait to go back Sat. Mar. 21 for a second try. Frasier has said there are more beautiful wild flowers beyond the first mountain in my painting. A group of us will hike up to get a different view and paint the wildflowers on Sat. I can't wait!!!!

Until then, Please enjoy the ART! Terry d. Chacon

Whitewater Preserve is 2,851 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management San Gorgonio Wilderness and is part of the Conservancy’s 33,000-acre Sand to Snow Preserve System. http://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/ Please check out the website for more information on Whitewater.