DESERT PAINTINGS
Palm Springs, California · Watercolor
Free reference photos

Field Notes

Things I noticed around the desert. Some became paintings, most are still waiting. My photos are free to download and paint from, or use for anything else. Credit is appreciated but not required.

CC0 · Public domain

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See each photo as light and dark only. A 3- or 5-value study is a quick way to plan a painting before reaching for color.

Sunsets and evening sky · 7

Orange dusk sky over the rooftops and palms of downtown Palm Springs, with layered blue mountains on the horizon
Downtown Palm Springs at dusk Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs Download 2576×1932 · 552 KB
Coral and grey sunset clouds filling the sky, with a windblown fan palm silhouetted on the left
Pink clouds and a palm Palm Springs Download 2576×1934 · 1.0 MB
Feathery peach cirrus clouds fanning across a blue evening sky above Sunrise Parkway and the San Jacinto Mountains
Cirrus over Sunrise Parkway Sunrise Parkway, Palm Springs Download 2576×1934 · 659 KB
A single very tall palm silhouetted against wispy pink cirrus clouds in a blue sky
Tall palm, pink cirrus Palm Springs Download 1932×2576 · 820 KB
Dark storm clouds lit coral and pink at sunset over the black silhouette of Mount San Jacinto
Storm light over San Jacinto San Jacinto Mountains Download 2576×1932 · 417 KB
Tall palms silhouetted against a sky of orange and lavender clouds, with dark mountains behind and lights below
Palms under a burning sky Downtown Palm Springs Download 1932×2576 · 1.1 MB
Golden sunset behind a mountain ridge, with puffy grey clouds, a small bare tree, and wind turbines on the horizon
Windmills at sunset San Gorgonio Pass Download 2576×1932 · 774 KB

Clouds and mountains · 4

Green fan palms in front of towering white cumulus clouds against a clear blue sky
Palms and building clouds Palm Springs Download 2576×1932 · 664 KB
Tall pines framing a single white cumulus cloud in a deep blue sky, with a rocky peak behind
Pines and a summer cloud San Jacinto high country Download 2576×2576 · 1.9 MB
A white egret flying low in front of sunlit, rocky San Jacinto mountain slopes, with olive trees in front
Egret below the San Jacintos San Jacinto Mountains Download 1932×2576 · 1.6 MB
A huge blue sky full of white clouds above rows of white wind turbines and the San Jacinto Mountains
Big sky over the windmills San Gorgonio Pass Download 2576×1932 · 729 KB

Desert plants and flowers · 4

A shaggy Joshua tree with spiky green heads against a deep blue sky with white clouds
Joshua tree, blue sky Joshua Tree National Park Download 1932×2576 · 1.3 MB
Dark silhouettes of tall yuccas and palm fronds against a glowing orange sunset sky
Yucca silhouettes at sunset Download 2576×2576 · 932 KB
Rows of tall green columnar cactus reaching into a bright blue sky with white clouds
Cactus nursery Download 2576×1932 · 1.1 MB
Close-up of pink and peach bougainvillea bracts and green leaves against a grey stucco wall
Bougainvillea Palm Springs Download 2576×2576 · 1.2 MB

Wildlife · 4

A greater roadrunner mid-stride along the top of a pale wall, crest raised and beak open
Roadrunner on a wall Sunrise Parkway, Palm Springs Painted as Roadrunner Crossing → Download 1455×1005 · 162 KB
A greater roadrunner standing on a green utility box, with desert landscaping and red yucca blooms behind
Roadrunner on a utility box Palm Springs Download 2576×2576 · 1.5 MB
A grey-brown spiny lizard flattened against a textured stucco wall
Lizard on stucco Palm Springs Download 745×994 · 264 KB
A coyote trotting along a curb past bougainvillea and an olive tree in morning light
Morning coyote Palm Springs Download 2576×2576 · 1.2 MB

Odds and ends · 3

Close-up of a grey tabby cat with bright green eyes
Pepper Download 2576×2576 · 1.4 MB
A margarita with a salted rim, lime and lemon slices and an orange marigold flower
A delicious margarita Download 2576×2576 · 1.0 MB
A framed oil painting by another artist of a bearded sea captain with a pipe in the clouds above a tall ship at sea
Sea captain, someday Not mine. Found it in a shop, and someday I'd like to try painting something like it. Another artist's painting. Shown for inspiration, not free to reuse.