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Yesterday afternoon we explored the Badlands of the Anza Borrego State Park and found the Pumpkin Patch, a place scattered with pumpkin shaped rocks. Unusual and interesting. It was sunset, and the low light gave the rocks a yellow/orange glow. The Badlands are a maze of 4 wheel drive trails that follow sandy washes up and down narrow canyons, some S-turns were so tight that a pick-up truck needed several tries to make the curve. And it was so warm we were in shorts and tank tops! Love this desert in the winter.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Evening light illuminated the wildflower Sand Verbena changing the color of the landscape to fuchsia as it clings to desert dunes. This spot along the Henderson Canyon Road is a nice place to enjoy sunset.

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Gail Niebrugge, wildflower artist

So far I’ve only found a couple of these beautiful lilies, both were solitary plants growing near the Di Giorgio Road/ Coyote Creek trail in the Anza Borrego desert of southern California. We drove the Coyote Creek trail as far as our vehicle would allow without high centering on rocks, then hiked a distance up the Coyote Creek Canyon. The road is most definitely a four-wheel drive route, and not for one equipped with standard tires. The only vehicle we saw traverse the rocky grade was a Bronco outfitted with big wheels and tires and even this rig scraped bottom on several boulders. Everyone else turned back after the Third Creek Crossing. Hiking on foot gave us the opportunity to study the area closely, and find the desert lilies.

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Gail Niebrugge, landscape painter

We hiked the desert floor west from the Anza Borrego Visitor Center toward the canyon that lies between Hellhole Canyon and the Palm Canyon and spotted the first blooming California Barrel Cactus! In another week the tops of these plants will be festooned with these pretty yellow flowers!

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Gail Niebrugge, pointillism paintings

The best wildflower bloom at the moment in the Anza Borrego State Park is along the Henderson Canyon Road where lawn sized patches of the blue/purple Sand Verbena cling to rolling ridges punctuated with spots of the soft white Dune Primrose. Lovely to see. During our visit we heard the yelping calls of two packs of coyotes signaling each other, one from a nearby ridge the other on the valley floor. The desert is a beautiful and refreshing place to enjoy at this time of the year.

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Gail Niebrugge, wildflower paintings

These tall, fat, California barrel cactus swell up from absorbing moisture after a rainfall and shrivel during the dry season. When cut open they are a good source of water for the desert big horn sheep, but not for humans because the moisture inside is very alkaline and will cause a greater thirst. I love the shape and color of this chubby desert plant, and the interwoven patterns of the long sharp curved thorns. They definitely look like something to keep at a respectful distance and could result in pain for the unaware. It is fun for me to revisit these areas where I spent a great deal of time in my youth, and see the subject matter that inspired my very early paintings.

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Gail Niebrugge, art of wildflowers

Bob blends into the landscape wearing his camo jacket while hiking among the ocotillo cactus on the Cactus Loop Trail in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California. Although rain, wind and cool weather were forcast for today, it turned out sunny and nice and sure beats the weather in Alaska at the moment. The Cactus Loop Trail is a short self guided 1 mile stroll up the canyon across from the Tamarisk Grove Campground, and is a wonderful way to learn to recognize the amazing variety of desert plant life. Most of the plants are greening up nicely from the winter rains and sport tiny buds that will bloom into gorgeous flowers soon. Unfortunately, most of the cactus flowers won’t bloom until May, so we will miss them, but the other plants are on the verge of a colorful show. We also saw a dozen big horn sheep along the mountain ridge above Highway S-3 at the summit. Life abounds in the desert!

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Gail Niebrugge, wildflower artist

Our son, photographer Ron Niebrugge, set up to shoot the waterfall at the oasis at the end of the Borrego Palm Canyon trail. This spot is lush and beautiful, fresh water pools among large boulders, lots of desert foliage and a grove of tall palm trees. The trail to the oasis is scattered with the remains of palm tree trunks from a devastating flash flood in 2004 that washed out half the grove, their skeletons tossed like match sticks along the riverbed. We are always cautious about flash floods when we hike riverbeds in the desert, today it is raining in the mountains and the wind is howling, blowing dust in the valley floor below. But, we were nicely protected in this oasis.

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Gail Niebrugge, wildflower artist

Bob and I at the oasis at the end of the 2.6 mile Palm Canyon hiking trail. This hike follows a stream bed and is full of interesting native desert plants and boulders, the stream is often visited by bighorn sheep although we did not spot any on this trip. I plan to visit this spot often while we are in the desert, it is one of the most beautiful and interesting places we’ve visited in the Anza Borrego State Park. I’d like to do some paintings of this desert landscape, and can’t wait until the wildflowers are in full bloom.

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Gail Niebrugge, Artist of wildflowers

Bob and I at the Maidenhair Falls in the Hellhole Canyon of the Anza Borrego State Park, California. Our 6 mile round trip hike up the Hellhole Canyon revealed a lot of early wildflowers, and the very beginning of red blooms on the Ocotillo cactus. Near the Maidenhair Falls were several cool oasis with palm trees and clear, fresh water springing from the earth. We climbed over boulders and through thickets of palms to find a trickle of water cascading down a rocky cliff dubbed the “falls”. They were a little disappointing, but the hike was good and scenery along the way interesting. A slight overcast sky gave excellent light for photographing wildflowers.

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Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

Our son, photographer Ron Niebrugge and his wife Janine join Bob and I during a day hike in the Anza Borrego State Park in southern California. We are spending time in the desert this winter anticipating a bonanza wildflower bloom due to the excellent timing of rain in the area. The plants are full of buds and we expect to see a great burst of flowers within the next week or so. On February 20 we hope we will be able to witness a total lunar eclipse, it will depend on wether or not we have clear skies. So far it has been sunny and warm. A nice break from the winter in Alaska.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

“Window Views” original painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge, original sold, limited edition prints sold out, a few Artist Proofs are available.

This painting shows a good overview of the condition of the Kennicott mine buildings before any stabilization efforts began. The bridge was still passable, albeit somewhat spooky, the small building without a roof on the lower left is totally gone now. Today the rotten roofs are repaired and made weather tight, foundations are rebuilt, the entire top on the large mill building at the top right is rebuilt, the bridge washed out during the fall of 2006 and will undergo major repair, and many other improvements too numerous to mention have been accomplished. Overall the landscape has not changed much except the willow and alder bushes around the buildings are larger. I am very proud of all the work that is being done to stabilize and preserve this historic place, and proud to be a part of documenting the contemporary history through my drawings, paintings, journals and photos.

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Gail Niebrugge, Art about Alaska

This photo shows me exploring an ice tunnel on the Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska. Seeking subject matter for future paintings is always interesting and is often a lot of fun. We wore ice crampons on our boots, and kept warm in the frozen underground with gloves, ear bands, and polarfleece. The weather on top the glacier was sunny and hot, I always plan for temperature extremes so that my trips are successful.

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Gail Niebrugge, wilderness painter

“Kennicott Melt Pool” original painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge, original painting sold, limited edition prints sold out a few Artist Proofs are available.

One day while poking around the rubble of the historic copper mine looking for a fresh subject to paint or a new view of the Kennicott, I decided to hike out onto the glacier moraine to see things from a different perspective. Moraine is dirt and gravel on top of glacier ice, and not easy to traverse. I slipped and slid up and down slopes and canyons until I came to the highest ridge in the vicinity. Sounds of rocks falling into water concerned me as I scrambled to the top, I froze when I saw an almost vertical drop of 20-30′ to a bottomless pool of water below! There is no escape from a fall into this chasm. Surviving immediate hypothermia without ice ax, ropes, crampons and pitons, would be all over but for the screaming. With these thoughts on my mind, I circumnavigated the melt pool and found this amazing scene to paint on the opposite side. I chose a longer, safer route back, and it was even longer before my adrenaline to return to normal.  Today this melt pool does not exist.
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Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

“Broken Porch” original acrylic and watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge, to purchase original painting call for price and availability.

Yesterday I wrote my Blog about the machine shop porch at the historic Kennicott Copper Mine, and how I enjoy exploring and finding great objects to paint. Obviously at some point it became too dangerous to walk on, but I gave that no mind. It was an opportunity to find rare glimpses of rusty parts, decayed lumber, painted wood, and unique good stuff for paintings! I admit to a few heart stopping moments when boards would shift or groan, but it did not deter me from my mission. It is disappointing that the whole thing collapsed under a heavy load of snow one winter, for that building is far less interesting today without its adornments and the rubble below is too big a mess to probe.
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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska art

“Windows, Kennecott” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge, sold.

The first time I walked between the mill building and the leaching plant at the historic Kennicott Copper Mill in the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains of Alaska, and looked up at the sixteen story monolith, I was amazed at all the windows. Windows of every size and shape dominate the west side. Even more incredible is that during the heydays of operation the windows faced glacier ice so high that the mountains on the opposite side were not visible. Today all we see of the glacier from these windows is moraine far below. This painting was completed many years ago and shows a state of decay that has since been stopped and stabilized by combined efforts of Friends of Kennicott, the State of Alaska and the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. I am proud that I am to document the changes to this historic site in paintings, drawings, journal writing, and photographs for more than 30 years.
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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Art

“Iron Wheels” original acrylic/watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge, original painting sold, limited edition prints sold out, a few Artist Proofs are available.

I know nothing about how the equipment operated at the historic Kennicott Copper Mill, or the function of these huge wheels, all I know is that one day the light hit this spot just right and captured my attention. The cast shadow from another structure created an interesting pattern across the wheels and the side of the red building, and with the texture of rotting boards it was a scene to paint. I love exploring this rickety porch alongside the machine shop, and finding great objects to photograph and paint. A few years later everything, including the porch, collapsed and is scattered in a jumble of wood and iron two stories below.

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Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

Among the many structures at the historic Kennicott copper mill, Alaska, the hospital is the only building not painted red. The above photo shows the condition of the hospital in 1979.

The deterioration of the hospital by 1988. Flash flooding caused National creek to change course, filling the first floor with silt and rocks.

By 1994 the hospital is a near total loss. The subsequent flood of 2006 continued the destruction. I am heartsick to see the loss of these historic places.

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Gail Niebrugge, artist of historic sites

“Kennicott Mill” original acrylic/watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge, original painting sold, limited edition prints sold out.

This view of the huge defunct Kennicott Copper Mill is from the glacier moraine, and shows the period where the building was completely vulnerable to deterioration from the elements of weather without the protection of a roof on top. Many years before, the owners began demolition of the building, the top story and roofs were removed and later the project was abandoned. Ice, snow and rain accumulated inside and began undermining the foundation. Today, restoration and stabilization efforts are protecting the structure from further decay. I am so glad, it warms my heart to see the work being done to save this part of history in Alaska. And I’m so glad that I am there to capture this history in original paintings.
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Gail Niebrugge, Art for Alaska

This is a photo of a dangerously unstable outbuilding on the hillside next to the Kennicott concentration mill in the Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska, during the summer of 1989. The following photo shows the same building one year later. I was shocked at how fast these historic structures are crumbling.

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Gail Niebrugge, wilderness painter