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Artist: Art Mortimer of Santa Monica, CA |
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Appropriately timed for our El Nino year of 1998, artist Art Mortimer of Santa Monica was commissioned to paint Twentynine Palms Mural #13, "Flash Flood." While the spring wildflower bloom of the century was happening all around him--a result of our prolific El Nino winter rain--Mortimer's beautifully detailed artwork began to bloom on the wall during April and May, and was unveiled in June. Recreating a downtown of days gone by, when early desert children used to ride the flood waters down the main road after a good rain, Mortimer created a series of historical vignettes depicting the flash flood waters originating from 49 Palms Oasis in the Joshua Tree National Park and raging down through the valley into the business area of Twentynine Palms. During his stay here, Mortimer was housed at the guest house of Ada Hatch, widow of pioneer and local engineer Bill Hatch, who was credited with helping to create the flood control channel in 1969 that eventually diverted these raging waters. Being adopted by the entire Hatch family and others in town, who treated him to hours of stories about the wet and wild days in the desert, helped this die-hard coastal dweller appreciate the magic and power of the desert waters he was portraying. Mortimer said he was grateful for the local hospitality, and was quoted as saying "the only drawback to Twentynine Palms was the lack of an ocean view." As one of Los Angeles' original muralists, Art Mortimer has taken on such subjects as Jewish community history and regional diversity. He serves on the board of directors of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles and teaches classes in schools and communities. Inspired by Terry Schoonhoven, the Los Angeles Fine Arts Squad, and Impressionism, Mortimer painted his first mural in 1971 on the side of his Santa Monica home. Since then, he has painted more than 60 murals, including public artworks in Billings, Montana, New York City, and Susanville, California, and in numerous communities along the California coast. Visit The Art Mortimer Website here: http://www.artmortimer.com |
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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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