Nearly a decade ago Whitney Gardner was living in Oakland, California, and finishing school when she realized she was ready to move from the city to a quieter and more nature-filled existence. She headed south to Joshua Tree National Park settling in Twentynine Palms, a desert town she often visited in her youth with her rock climber grandfather. The region’s wide-open desert and abandoned cabins—jackrabbits as they are known locally—have become her unrelenting source of inspiration.
Moon Blooms, oil on wood, 18 x 18"
November 29 through December 29, Gardner will have her first solo exhibition at 29 Palms Art Gallery, which she says is also the first time she is really stepping out to show her artwork. The exhibition, titled Sand and Stars, is an exploration of the desert landscape and its moods.
“Whitney’s decadelong residency in the windy mountain heights has infused her soul with the mysterious beauty of the desert with its entrancing light. She is the most exciting desert artist to appear in the gallery in a long while.” — Darcy Phillips, vice president, 29 Palms Artists Guild
“I’m exploring the different light, weather, the creatures—all of these things,” she says. “I’m trying to get this nice, broad view of the desert by painting nocturnes, the light in the morning and the sunset.” Gardner also paints the timeworn cabins that were first built in the 1930s to ’50s and are recognized by many of the city’s residents. “One of the exciting things about painting those locations is a lot of the locals know where these cabins are and they know who used to own them,” she elaborates. “It’s a fun element and adds a slight historic element to my work as well.”
Passing Through, oil on wood, 14 x 14"
Included in the show is Moon Blooms, depicting a San Pedro cactus that Gardner planted in her yard. “It’s interesting because it only blooms once a year, in the late summer or fall, and it blooms at night,” Gardner explains. “I thought it’d be an interesting opportunity to make a nocturne piece of this plant that I have this relationship with. I’m exploring the way that these blooms might look in the full moon setting. If you’ve ever been in the desert in the full moon, it’s very bright and it’s a very dreamy effect.”
Standing in the Stars, oil on wood, 14 x 11"
Another nocturne on view will be Standing in the Stars, which focuses on the vastness of the desert and how the stars can light up the night sky where there is little industrialization. She also presents Music for the Mountains and Passing Through, paintings that both highlight the open landscape and the monsoon season that brings about unique natural characteristics. In each painting a sheet of rain pours down on the land and lets the viewer imagine the sounds of clapping thunder and the streaks of lightning.
On December 7, 29 Palms Art Gallery will host an artist reception for the show. —
Upcoming Show
Up to 20 works
Nov. 29-Dec. 29, 2019
29 Palms Art Gallery
74055 Cottonwood Drive
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
(760) 367-7819
www.29palmsartgallery.com
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