Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most magical and surreal places in the West. Visitors are captivated by its silence, seclusion, absence of light pollution, unique rock formations and, of course, Joshua trees.
Artists who have been drawn to Joshua Tree will display their paintings, photographs and sculptures at the 14th Annual Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition, opening with a series of special events—including art booths, live music, food and activities—at the 29 Palms Art Gallery on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7 and 8. The exhibition will be on display through Sunday, Nov. 29.
Vickie Waite, director of Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo, said submissions for the show came from across the United States. “This year, we received submissions from 143 artists, and we selected 60 artists for the show,” Waite said.
One of those local artists—who won first prize at the 2024 JTNP Art Exposition—is Larry Hemmerich.
“I love impressionistic painting and his style, and I’m always amazed at the details he can accomplish using soft pastels,” Waite said about Hemmerich.
Hemmerich—who has received numerous awards, and was invited to participate in the prestigious 2025 Borrego Springs Plein Air Invitational—paints natural landscapes, deserts, mountains and shorelines using soft pastels by applying a powdered pigment directly to the surface without using a traditional paintbrush.
“Joshua Tree is alive with barrel cactus, beaver tail cactus, rock formations from eons ago and extraordinary cloud formations against a shocking blue sky,” Hemmerich said. “I wanted to capture the beauty, wonder and awe that can only be found in the wilderness, the spiritual emotion of it, with my pastels.”
He said he was first introduced to pastels by his uncle’s neighbor. “He was a professor and had a lot of pastels in his garage and said I could have them,” Hemmerich said. “Later, a pastel artist told me to draw a landscape with pastels. I did it in an hour; she flipped: ‘No way you created that in an hour.’ She was blown away.”
He started painting later in life—when he moved to Palm Springs in 2013—after working for years in media and advertising.
“I felt inspired to pick up my pastels and start painting,” he said. “I hiked and explored the endless desert vistas … and my love for the natural world around me inspired me to start painting again.”
He sold his first paintings at the Stephen Baumbach Gallery in Palm Springs in 2017.
“I have to pinch myself to realize all the success I have had since that first exhibition,” he said.
Hemmerich grew up in the Midwest and started drawing as a child. His parents recognized his passion and enrolled him at the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio when he was 13.
“I never saw art as a viable way of making a living, so I felt compelled to pursue the corporate world,” he said. “Also, being gay was part of my reason for not pursuing art at that time; it was not a thing men did, especially growing up in Ohio. I was overthinking it—the shame, what my family would think—but my family accepted me.”
Hemmerich said his desire is to capture a moment with his artworks—a scene that the viewer may never see in person.
“This is the blessing that I get from God, helping people see his creation the way I see it.”
His message: “It’s never too late to pursue your dreams and reinvent yourself,” he said. “Don’t let age be a barrier to creativity, learning or artistic growth. Find your creative spirit; embrace it; and tap into it.”
The 14th Annual Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition opens with activities from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, at the 29 Palms Art Gallery, at 74055 Cottonwood Drive, in Twentynine Palms. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, Nov. 29. Learn more at jtnparts.org. Learn more about Larry Hemmerich at larryhemmerich.com.
