recalls. So he headed to the highway and an old motel
to huddle against an ancient heater until leaving
again at 4 am to return to his chosen location. But
it was at this time and place he captured some of
his most memorable images – newly fallen snow –
laced across the desert – untouched, unseen by any
other human, just breathtaking.
Jim agreed to share one of his “secret” locations
with magazine readers. “I really liked going out
by the volcanoes and shooting in lava tubes.” (Be
alert that it does take some off road skill to reach
the Park Service Interpretive Exhibit located at the
Lava Tubes. It is advised to check with Rangers
before making the trip – road conditions change
- there’s that word again! - frequently.) “There are
these surreal stalactite-like structures which have
extraordinary colors, amazing colors. It does get
dark quickly when you get into tube, but there
is enough light when you first climb down the
ladder.”
In the interview for this article, Jim recalled a friend
recently mentioning that young people today
are content to visit Hole in the Wall in Mojave
National Preserve virtually, through a computer
screen, rather than by driving to the spot and
hiking about. But, he noted, the virtual experience
can’t compare to being on the Sand Dunes before
sunrise, before any other human being, and being
able to capture the Dunes at sunrise, pristine of any
footprints. “Be there, or be square,” Jim advises
passionately.
Smart is a member of the board of directors of the
Mojave National Preserve Artists Foundation. He
also has had about half a dozen shows in Santa
Ana, Hollywood, Twentynine Palms, and has
been a participant in the La Quinta Art Under the
Umbrella programs, eight major street art shows in
Old Town La Quinta. DLM
Mojave Road Peak
Centennial Edition
|
THE DESERT LIGHT
9