When my friends, Sara and Rich Combs moved to Joshua Tree full time, my first visit to see them was the very first time I had even seen a desert. I quickly saw what they loved about the place; the open space to breathe and think, the room to create, and the inspiring community of the small town. Together we designed a bandana to celebrate the flora and fauna of their remote world, including their 1969 International Scout.

Sara and Rich wrote a book about their lives in the desert called At Home in Joshua Tree, a Field Guide to Desert Living and asked me to contribute a series of illustrations to catalogue the local wildlife as a bestiary. They also used illustrative icons from the Joshua Tree bandana design throughout the book.

After discovering an abandoned inn for sale on the border of Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona, Sara and Rich were able to expand their vision of creating creative spaces accommodating national parks. The inn (also known as “Posada”) needed branding and sign painting, so I went and lived on-site for the week before opening. I designed and painted way-finding signage, a “pool rules” sign, and the main sign for the front of the inn. As an additional surprise to Sara and Rich, I designed and hand-printed a series of 50 unique bandanas to be given as souvenirs to guests of the opening party.