Tahquitz in Color: A Visual Odyssey

October 19, 2024 - March 31, 2025

Dawson Cole Fine Art

Palm Desert, CA

I like to reimagine a setting with bold, inventive colors, flat planes, and strong linear compositions with minimal information to blend reality with abstraction.

My paintings of the Tahquitz Canyon and waterfalls were inspired by the vast beauty and stark differences between the blistering desert heat and the lush waterfall oasis. Wading in the cool misty water at the base of the falls felt spiritual and magical. Like the individual in my painting “Resting in Shallow Water,” I felt connected in some small way to this magnificent landscape.

The Native American legend of Tahquitz is a fascinating story and according to some, it still can be seen and felt in the Canyon today. My painting “Watching Over Tahquitz Falls” includes some interesting shadows that appear to be that of a face on a cliff wall near the waterfall. One legend of Tahquitz states that he was the first shaman of the Cahuilla people but began using his immense powers to trick and do great harm to his people. The Chief banned him from the tribe and Tahquitz fled into the waterfall then eventually to Tahquitz Rock above Idyllwild.

Other paintings in this exhibit focus on my journey to and return from the Tahquitz Canyon. They show the intense light and colorful sunsets of the magnificent San Jacinto Mountains.