Diamond Deserts

I roamed and rambled, and I've followed my footsteps

To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts

All around me a voice was sounding

This land was made for you and me

Woody Guthrie, 1940

This stark, yet stunning, desert landscape, infused with soft light and ethereal color, is indeed a gem. It was painted by California artist Herbert Sartelle. Sartelle, who was also a professional magician, could work magic with a brush as well as with a wand.

Sartelle was born in New York in 1885. When he was 18 years of age, Sartelle joined the Barnum & Bailey Circus, where he became an accomplished magician. Sartelle left the circus in 1909 and travelled the vaudeville circuit as a magician, painting and sketching as a hobby. In 1928, Sartelle moved to Los Angeles, and although he continued to work as a magician, he began painting landscapes, mainly in southern California. He is renown for his desert and mountain scenes that so beautifully capture the luminous sky and subtle coloring of these pristine and untouched natural settings. Sartelle died in Los Angeles in 1955. 

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

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