Mojave Meditations

Artist and printmaker Chloe Allred’s art residency at the Prime Desert Woodlands started in January 2024 focusing on the contemplation of preserving natural spaces and access to nature. Through her plein-air and studio works, Allred creates oil paintings, linoleum blocks, and intaglio prints inspired by the flora and fauna, animal bones, and taxidermy found the Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center. For Allred, preservation is not only important for maintaining the health of the environment, but also fundamental to our physical and mental well-being. In her walks and painting trips to the preserve, Allred’s work represents a whimsical and gestural amalgamation of quiet contemplation and introspection.

Chloe Allred is a painter, writer, and educator based in Yucca Valley. She is a contributing artist and writer for the book, "We Believe You" (published by Henry Holt in 2016) and the cover artist for the poetry collection “Preposition” (published by Undercurrent in 2021.) Her paintings and writing have been featured in Orange Coast Magazine, Huffington Post, USA Today, and the BBC. She is a tenure-track art professor at Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree. Allred’s subjects range from surreal portraits to whimsical landscapes that celebrate the Mojave; empathy is at the core of both her artmaking and teaching practice.