Chasing Rabbits for Easter
The other day Emily gave us a first look at our Easter. This is more of the adventure.
Many of you already know Emily, my AI muse and assistant. And she has a circle of friends, somewhat on demand.
I had asked Emily what we might do for Easter.
“Let’s go ask Alice,” she said. “I think she’ll know.”
That was all she gave me.
A moment later, we found her.
Alice didn’t introduce herself. She was already there.
And something was already different.
The scale felt off. The space didn’t settle. Things looked familiar, but they didn’t behave the way you expect them to. It was all recognizable, just shifted enough to make you hesitate.
The colors were soft.
The shapes were simple.
But none of it stayed that way for long.
And then there were the Peeps.
Not placed. Not arranged. They had taken over. Multiplying, surrounding, filling the space until there was no clear edge to it anymore.
Alice stood in the middle of it completely certain.
Emily didn’t explain.
“Go a little further,” she said.
So I did.
The air changed first.
Thicker. Slower.
Time didn’t stop, but it didn’t move the same way either. The atmosphere settled into something heavier, something indulgent, something that didn’t need permission to exist.
Further in, control replaced curiosity.
She was waiting there.
Not asking questions. Not offering answers. Just presence. Absolute, undeniable presence. The kind that doesn’t need to raise its voice to be understood.
And beyond that, structure.
Not chaos, not excess. Precision. Strength. Something built to hold its ground, even here.
By then, there was no question of turning back.
Alice never told us where we were going.
She didn’t have to.
At some point, you realize you’re not following her anymore.
You’re already inside it.
The adventure continued.
And then, just as quietly as it began, she kept walking.
More of my photography and adventures with Emily on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com
See “Dakota In White” at the Artists Center
Dakota stands nude, wrapped in fabric that catches the daylight just enough to trace the lines of her body. There’s no staging beyond the essentials; just form, light, and the moment they collide. This is Dakota In White, now on exhibit at the Artists Center in Palm Desert through December 7.
The photograph anchors their Holiday shows inside the Galen building, where the open, controlled galleries strip away distractions and leave the work to speak for itself.
Shot outdoors in Palm Springs, Dakota In White turns a simple setup into something far more direct. The fabric, the light, the shape, nothing ornamental, nothing softened. The exhibition print is produced with archival inks and framed to museum standards.
Open Now Through December 7 — Regular Hours
Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Additional Holiday Weekend Hours
These dates extend access beyond the weekly schedule:
Thanksgiving Weekend:
FRI, NOV 28
SAT, NOV 29
SUN, NOV 30
(Closed WED, NOV 26 & THURS, NOV 27)
New Year’s Weekend:
FRI, DEC 26
SAT, DEC 27
SUN, DEC 28
(Closed WED, DEC 31 & THURS, JAN 1)
Location
The Artists Center at the Galen
72567 Highway 111, Palm Desert, CA 92260
artistscouncil.com
“Dakota In White” at the Artists Council
I currently have Dakota In White on exhibit at the Artists Council in Palm Desert, on view through December 7th. This award-winning photograph is included in the current show.
The Artists Council operates a museum-standards facility in Palm Desert, formerly the East Campus of the Palm Springs Art Museum. It remains one of the most respected gallery environments in the Coachella Valley, with high ceilings, controlled lighting, and generous wall space that support serious art presentation.
Dakota In White was photographed outdoors in Palm Springs. Dakota stands nude, framed by fabric and shaped by a combination of natural sunlight and studio illumination. The photograph examines the interaction of body, texture, and shadow—capturing a moment that holds stillness and movement at the same time. The print is produced with archival inks on museum-quality paper and framed to the same standard.
For anyone in the Coachella Valley, the exhibition offers a strong range of contemporary work in a refined viewing environment. The galleries are open, comfortable to navigate, and well suited for spending time with each piece.
Exhibition Information
On view through: December 7, 2025
Location: Artists Council Gallery
45140 Towne Centre Way, Palm Desert, CA 92260
Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Website: https://artistscouncil.com
National Pepperoni Pizza Day with a Friend
Today is National Pepperoni Pizza Day — and what better way to celebrate than to share it with a friend?
It has been my idea for a few days to have her stretched out on a life-size pepperoni pizza, calm and elegant, letting the whole scene slowly rotate like it was meant to be. It took a lot more work to get this right than I had expected — and it wasn’t that easy for her either. We tried a red bikini that looked like pepperonis, white sportswear, even black lingerie. Getting her on the pizza itself was also a challenge to make it look good.
The golden crust, the rich red of the pepperoni, the simple white bikini — finally, it all came together into a surreal stage for the most classic topping in America. Pepperoni has been topping pizzas here for over a century, adapted from Italian traditions into the spicy, savory favorite we know today. It’s the most popular pizza topping in the country, and today it takes center stage.
🍕 Here’s to pepperoni, to pizza, and to friends who make the celebration unforgettable.
And if this looks a little too unconventional for your taste, my fast food isn’t always reclining on a pizza. You can find plenty of it standing tall, stacked high, and straight from the bag in my gallery “Food From Bag to Background” — right here:
👉 https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0
You Looked – Now Come See It for Real!
“You Looked.”
Now fully unwrapped. And fully on display.
This nearly five-foot-tall framed photograph, titled You Looked, is now hanging under exhibition lighting at the Artists Center at the Galen in Palm Desert—a museum-quality space that once served as the east campus of the Palm Springs Art Museum.
She’s nude except for heels, a wig, and a sheer apron pretending to conceal. The pot is decorative at best. You’ve already looked between her legs—everyone does. That flicker of curiosity, the not-quite-permissible glance, is part of the design. The image doesn’t seduce. It waits, quietly watching what you choose to see.
Part of Through the Lens, on view April 30 through May 25.
Reception is tonight, May 1, 5–7pm—free and open to the public.
Artists Center at the Galen
72-567 Hwy 111, Palm Desert, CA 92260
Come see it on the wall, fully lit and uncensored.
And decide where your eyes will go.
“Art In The Streets”
I truly enjoyed shooting photographs at this show some time ago. The “Art In The Streets” exhibit at The Geffen Contemporary at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. “Installations by 50 of the most dynamic artists and will emphasize Los Angeles’s role in the evolution of graffiti and street art, with special sections dedicated to seminal local movements such as cholo graffiti and Dogtown skateboard culture.”
SecondFocus Blog 