Murals of 29 Palms
Flash Flood of the 1940's Mural Photo by Don Van Blaricom
Before construction of the flood control channel in 1969 by the County of San Bernardino, with the assistance of local engineer Bill Hatch, raging flash flood waters used to wash across this land. Flowing down from 49 Palms Canyon, in what is now Joshua Tree National Park, the water would rush out to where 29 Palms Highway is now located, continue east around Donnell Hill, and down through the center of downtown 29 Palms. While business owners lamented this deluge with its rushing waters ruining their stores, the children of town would joyously ride the waves in their inner-tubes and boats. This 18- by 40-boot mural portrays, in a series of vignettes, the famous desert flash flood days of the 1940s. Painted by artist Art Mortimer of Santa Monica, CA, the mural is located at 6248 Adobe Road, on the north facing wall of the Peking Inn. Dedicated: June 13, 1998.
Artist: Art Mortimer of Santa Monica, CA
Mural #13 - Flash Flood
About the Muralist
Dedication Date: June 13, 1998
Locaton: Peking Inn
Appropriately timed for our El Nino year of 1998, artist Art Mortimer of Santa Monica was commissioned to paint Twentynine Palms Mural #13, "Flash Flood." While the spring wildflower bloom of the century was happening all around him--a result of our prolific El Nino winter rain--Mortimer's beautifully detailed artwork began to bloom on the wall during April and May, and was unveiled in June. Recreating a downtown of days gone by, when early desert children used to ride the flood waters down the main road after a good rain, Mortimer created a series of historical vignettes depicting the flash flood waters originating from 49 Palms Oasis in the Joshua Tree National Park and raging down through the valley into the business area of Twentynine Palms. During his stay here, Mortimer was housed at the guest house of Ada Hatch, widow of pioneer and local engineer Bill Hatch, who was credited with helping to create the flood control channel in 1969 that eventually diverted these raging waters. Being adopted by the entire Hatch family and others in town, who treated him to hours of stories about the wet and wild days in the desert, helped this die-hard coastal dweller appreciate the magic and power of the desert waters he was portraying. Mortimer said he was grateful for the local hospitality, and was quoted as saying "the only drawback to Twentynine Palms was the lack of an ocean view."
As one of Los Angeles' original muralists, Art Mortimer has taken on such subjects as Jewish community history and regional diversity. He serves on the board of directors of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles and teaches classes in schools and communities. Inspired by Terry Schoonhoven, the Los Angeles Fine Arts Squad, and Impressionism, Mortimer painted his first mural in 1971 on the side of his Santa Monica home. Since then, he has painted more than 60 murals, including public artworks in Billings, Montana, New York City, and Susanville, California, and in numerous communities along the California coast.
Visit The Art Mortimer Website here: www.artmortimer.com
www.geocities.com/hkraychir/Action29PressReleases.html?11...
Flash Flood of the 1940's Mural Photo by Don Van Blaricom
Before construction of the flood control channel in 1969 by the County of San Bernardino, with the assistance of local engineer Bill Hatch, raging flash flood waters used to wash across this land. Flowing down from 49 Palms Canyon, in what is now Joshua Tree National Park, the water would rush out to where 29 Palms Highway is now located, continue east around Donnell Hill, and down through the center of downtown 29 Palms. While business owners lamented this deluge with its rushing waters ruining their stores, the children of town would joyously ride the waves in their inner-tubes and boats. This 18- by 40-boot mural portrays, in a series of vignettes, the famous desert flash flood days of the 1940s. Painted by artist Art Mortimer of Santa Monica, CA, the mural is located at 6248 Adobe Road, on the north facing wall of the Peking Inn. Dedicated: June 13, 1998.
Artist: Art Mortimer of Santa Monica, CA
Mural #13 - Flash Flood
About the Muralist
Dedication Date: June 13, 1998
Locaton: Peking Inn
Appropriately timed for our El Nino year of 1998, artist Art Mortimer of Santa Monica was commissioned to paint Twentynine Palms Mural #13, "Flash Flood." While the spring wildflower bloom of the century was happening all around him--a result of our prolific El Nino winter rain--Mortimer's beautifully detailed artwork began to bloom on the wall during April and May, and was unveiled in June. Recreating a downtown of days gone by, when early desert children used to ride the flood waters down the main road after a good rain, Mortimer created a series of historical vignettes depicting the flash flood waters originating from 49 Palms Oasis in the Joshua Tree National Park and raging down through the valley into the business area of Twentynine Palms. During his stay here, Mortimer was housed at the guest house of Ada Hatch, widow of pioneer and local engineer Bill Hatch, who was credited with helping to create the flood control channel in 1969 that eventually diverted these raging waters. Being adopted by the entire Hatch family and others in town, who treated him to hours of stories about the wet and wild days in the desert, helped this die-hard coastal dweller appreciate the magic and power of the desert waters he was portraying. Mortimer said he was grateful for the local hospitality, and was quoted as saying "the only drawback to Twentynine Palms was the lack of an ocean view."
As one of Los Angeles' original muralists, Art Mortimer has taken on such subjects as Jewish community history and regional diversity. He serves on the board of directors of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles and teaches classes in schools and communities. Inspired by Terry Schoonhoven, the Los Angeles Fine Arts Squad, and Impressionism, Mortimer painted his first mural in 1971 on the side of his Santa Monica home. Since then, he has painted more than 60 murals, including public artworks in Billings, Montana, New York City, and Susanville, California, and in numerous communities along the California coast.
Visit The Art Mortimer Website here: www.artmortimer.com
www.geocities.com/hkraychir/Action29PressReleases.html?11...