Sketchbook 27: morning routine at bombay beach
Each morning, as the sun creeps over the distant mountains, I find myself drawn to the same corner of Bombay Beach. The light here plays differently than anywhere else I've painted – harsh yet ethereal, illuminating the beautiful decay of this desert shoreline in ways that demand to be captured on canvas.
My routine has become almost ceremonial. I arrive just as the morning haze begins to lift from the Salton Sea, revealing the day's subject matter like a slow unveiling. Sometimes it's the skeletal remains of an old swing set, its chains reaching toward the water as if longing for the children who once played here. Other times, it's a rusted-out Chevrolet, half-buried in the desert soil, where desert flowers have made their home in what was once the engine compartment.
The landscape here defies conventional beauty. Dilapidated structures cast long shadows across the salt-encrusted earth, their weathered walls telling stories of both decline and resilience. A forgotten bicycle leans against a salt-crusted fence post, its wheel frozen mid-spin by time and the elements. These aren't just abandoned objects – they're characters in Bombay Beach's ongoing story, each with their own silent history.
There's a particular spot where several abandoned cars have formed their own kind of sculpture garden. Time and the harsh elements have stripped away their original purpose, transforming them into abstract formations that speak to both human absence and environmental presence. The early sun turns everything it touches into gold, while the shadows hold onto the cool blues of dawn.
As the morning progresses and the heat begins to build, I pack up my supplies, knowing tomorrow will offer new perspectives on these familiar scenes. Each painting becomes part of a larger narrative – not just of Bombay Beach's decay, but of its transformation into something else entirely. In this corner of the world, where the desert meets a dying sea, I've found an unlikely muse. Each brushstroke is an attempt to capture not just what Bombay Beach is, but what it represents: a place where the past and present collide, creating something hauntingly beautiful in their collision.
