Alabama Hills

One of the most interesting places we visited on our recent painting trip to Owens Valley, California, was the Alabama Hills, near Lone Pine.Unfortunately the weather was a little sketchy and we opted to draw rather than paint in case the heavens decided to open up rain on us.

The unfortunate side affect was that the skied were overcast and the light relatively flat. I would have loved to have seen these rock formations on a clear day along with what I am sure would have been fantastic shadow patterns. As it was, the rocks were unbelievable. The outcroppings jutted out of the ground everywhere at every angle, some as large as 30-40 feet high. Eons of wind and rain have weathered them into rounded mounds fractured with fissures and cavities.

It is no wonder that Hollywood has filmed more than 300 feature films, TV episodes and commercials among these incredible rocks formations (including Iron Man, Gladiator and the classic monster spoof Tremors). I was mesmerized. Here are a couple of the photos I took along with the sketch I made. I'd love to go back someday and really paint them. Until then I will have to be satisfied with my photos and painting from memory.