ISSUE #1
When Harry took a break from touring 8 years ago we made the move from London to LA and set up studios in Santa Monica. My art studio adjoins his music studio so we work side by side when he's not on the road.*
We also had a dream of a place in the desert, a space for creating community for artists, but it took us until last year to find the perfect 1950's desert house. It's taken me almost a year to renovate it, but it was worth the wait.
The Art House Joshua Tree is our family home and creative retreat in the vast landscape of the Mojave High Desert. It's a place to rest, reflect and be inspired. We showcase our work and invite other artists to share the space with us.
The Art House Joshua Tree
One of the things I love most about the Californian desert are those unpaved roads that vanish into the horizon. You know the ones, lesson 101 in drawing perspective, lines converging into infinity. They whisper of adventure under big skies. The road to nowhere that leads everywhere. Somewhere wild and untouched with untold possibilities, they promise the freedom of legends and the romance of poets. They say disappear and find yourself again, reimagined.
For us that's the beauty of escaping to the desert, it's an invitation to let your imagination run free, to dream and to create.
Harry played a gig at Furstworld, located at the end of this road.
We went on to use this image as the cover for McNally Waters Band first album.
This newsletter won’t always be a desert diary, the truth and beauty of it is, much like the best road trips there will be all kinds of spontaneous stops and sights along the way.
There will be art and music from both of our studios in Santa Monica and Joshua Tree, and news from our creative community around the world.
Perhaps most importantly there will be opportunities for us to connect, with art, studio visits, exhibitions, gigs, and much more.
The big sky’s the limit!
So buckle up and let's see where this takes us.
Thanks for coming along for the ride…
Road trips are always better with friends.
From the studio…
One from the road…
Over the last 12 months of renovating The Art House, and driving back and forth to the desert, I have clocked up some serious mileage and become a self proclaimed expert at the perfect road trip soundtrack. As a thank you for following along on this journey I have shared its latest iteration here.
(Never fear, if it's not your thing Harry will share a playlist next time!)
Enjoy!
Hi I’m Richelle Rich,
contemporary artist, mum to two scruffy kids, desert loving, tea drinking, art obsessed Brit living in LA.
This is Harry Waters,
musician, composer, chess addict and my partner in life and all things creative these last 18 years.
Profile Pics by Yan Palmer
* People often say that it must be wonderful having studio space right next door to Harry. That it must be lovely hearing him play piano all day. The reality is he practices scales endlessly and swears loudly when he makes a mistake.
So the truth is I play my own music loud.
Just thought you might like to know ;) R x