My work is as about as regional as it gets. Localism taken to the point where I don’t even leave my yard to look for subject matter. Not that I planned it that way , it’s just a function of living in a wilderness area with unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains and clear skies most nights. Wonder Valley is in the eastern part of the Morongo Basin , which runs along the north border of Joshua Tree National Park. Starting at the east slope of Mt San Gorgonio, the basin stretches about 40 miles east to the Cockscomb Mountains. It’s the only mountain basin on the continental U.S. that runs east-west. The site of an ancient sea bed, and skirting the edge of the San Andrea’s Fault , the area has always been considered a locus of natural energy. All the raw forces of nature are at work on a grand scale. Standing in my yard I have a clear view from one end of the basin to the other. All of these paintings are inspired by what I see every night when I take the dog out for his walk.
Mojave Noir In 1998 I saw the exhibition George Bellows, Love of Winter included were two works that struck me in particular. One was a winter scene of fields of snow with buildings and trees("Blue Snow "). The other was a nocturne, possibly by Childe Hassam, of people strolling through a gas-lamp lit park. The thing the two works shared in common were the design elements, stark, high contrast pallets, and simple scenes of broad scope with a few highlighted features. These images stuck with me, teasing me in a way. I wanted to do paintings that evoked the feeling I got from those two paintings, especially the nocturne, but I wasn't sure how to approach it. One reason why these two works spoke to me so much,about a year previous I had seen a group show of work called "New York Noir". These works, while not nocturnes, shared all the design elements that I admired in the two paintings in the Bellows show, and had a direct influence on my still-life work at the time.
Upon moving to Wonder Valley one of the first things I discovered was the other-worldly beauty of the moon-lit desert . The stark landscape and subtle lighting seemed a perfect meeting of all the things I would want to include in a nocturne painting. It wasn't until I completed my portrait of Tab Hunter for the painting series "Movie Star Zombie Love Affaire" , that I stumbled upon the technique that allowed me to execute the nocturne paintings I've always aspired to.
Most of the scenes depicted in the Mojave Noir series are ones I see almost nightly as I walk around my property. Nothing quite equals the haunting beauty of the desert under moonlight. Away from the bright lights of town even a quarter moon is enough to cast shadows and the desert world is transformed.
Upon moving to Wonder Valley one of the first things I discovered was the other-worldly beauty of the moon-lit desert . The stark landscape and subtle lighting seemed a perfect meeting of all the things I would want to include in a nocturne painting. It wasn't until I completed my portrait of Tab Hunter for the painting series "Movie Star Zombie Love Affaire" , that I stumbled upon the technique that allowed me to execute the nocturne paintings I've always aspired to.
Most of the scenes depicted in the Mojave Noir series are ones I see almost nightly as I walk around my property. Nothing quite equals the haunting beauty of the desert under moonlight. Away from the bright lights of town even a quarter moon is enough to cast shadows and the desert world is transformed.
Mojave Noir II
Moon & Clouds
Living in the desert means vast stretches of open sky. Its easy to watch weather systems move in and roll about the basin. During monsoon season clouds are always decorating the sky. At night they have a particular interaction with the moon that you don’t get a chance to fully appreciate in developed areas. The subtle but dramatic moods and vistas of a nighttime sky full of clouds illuminated by the moon are washed away by the relentless dirty orange glow that is a standard feature of city life. I hope to convey some of the quiet magic of these nights that used to be commonplace in most peoples lives less than a hundred years ago.
This series of paintings began as quick plein aire sketches with whatever materials were on hand.
Eventually, I got some scrap black matt board and dug out my white drawing pencil. Some of the sketches actually made it into the show just because I like how they look. There is often a rare quality about a rough sketch that doesn’t always translate into the final work. Something is always lost in the translation. But I also feel something different is gained in the translation as well. Its not necessarily better, just different.
David C Greene
Wonder Valley, Ca
2012
Moon & Clouds
Living in the desert means vast stretches of open sky. Its easy to watch weather systems move in and roll about the basin. During monsoon season clouds are always decorating the sky. At night they have a particular interaction with the moon that you don’t get a chance to fully appreciate in developed areas. The subtle but dramatic moods and vistas of a nighttime sky full of clouds illuminated by the moon are washed away by the relentless dirty orange glow that is a standard feature of city life. I hope to convey some of the quiet magic of these nights that used to be commonplace in most peoples lives less than a hundred years ago.
This series of paintings began as quick plein aire sketches with whatever materials were on hand.
Eventually, I got some scrap black matt board and dug out my white drawing pencil. Some of the sketches actually made it into the show just because I like how they look. There is often a rare quality about a rough sketch that doesn’t always translate into the final work. Something is always lost in the translation. But I also feel something different is gained in the translation as well. Its not necessarily better, just different.
David C Greene
Wonder Valley, Ca
2012