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Oasis of Mara Artists: Robert "Beau" Caughlan III of San Francisco, CA, and Ron Croci of Honolulu, Hawaii, at the unveiling of their Oasis of Mara mural. (1995 Photo by Vickie Waite) |
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Deciding to honor the earliest history of Twentynine Palms in our second mural, professional artist Ron Croci was commissioned to paint the original heart of town, the Oasis of Mara, which at one time was surrounded by the 29 palm trees that gave the town its name. The oasis, which is still in existence today and located on the property that is now known as the 29 Palms Inn, was a source of life-giving water for early migrating Native Americans and later the Serrano, Chemehueve, and Cahuilla Indians who camped at the lush oasis. In a tribute to these earliest desert settlers, Croci selected a scene of Cahuilla villagers working and gathering water near their huts and weaving their exquisite baskets. He also portrayed the first desert area surveyor, Col. Henry Washington, in the 17 by 80-foot mural, which was unveiled on March 25, 1995. While Croci was no stranger to the desert (often visiting his parents and his aunt who live in Yucca Valley), he admittedly had to readjust his visual perspective from Hawaiian green to desert sand before mixing his paints for this project. Even halfway through the mural he was still tempering his colors and being teased about his vibrant palm trees, as onlookers and artists alike tried to imagine and recreate what this desert oasis looked like in the 1800s. Artist Ron Croci's business of more than 30 years, World Design, was originally based in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a mainland studio in Malibu, CA. He recently relocated permanently to the Los Angeles area, where he had spent years designing and painting "scenic backings" for scores of feature films and hundreds of TV commercials. In 1995, out of the 20 building murals to his credit at that time, this was Croci's first mural in California. His longtime friend, freelance artist Robert "Beau" Caughlan III, a resident of San Mateo at the time of this mural, had worked with Croci on numerous projects, including three previous building murals. |
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Any software, images, webpages, text, and other materials that are made available to use, view, or download from the http://www.oasisofmurals.com are the copyrighted work of Michael Collins or Vickie Waite or are public domain as noted and cannot be used without express permission of either Michael Collins or Vickie Waite.. |
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