Palm Reading

No doubt due to the news of Mad Men's return on March 25 (at last! hooray!), I've been itching for spring. Palm Springs, that is.

Mira Loma Hotel in Palm Springs, 1960s

Nostalgia is a dangerous beast, but it's not a secret that poolside lounging (or just dreaming of a little 1960s style magic) is incredibly relaxing. Seems Don Draper and his kids knew that, too.

Sally and Bobby at Disneyland! Wonder if they ran into Ryan Gosling?

David Hockney's Pool paintings serve a similar purpose, particularly in the middle of the January doldrums. They evoke a beautiful, eternal summer free from mosquitoes, humidity, and sunburn. Just chlorine and peace.

Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), 1972

Twenty-something years after this series, Hockney also painted the Southwest. His huge, expansive paintings of the Grand Canyon give the viewer the sense of standing just at the edge of the massive ravine. They are tense, evocative, and beautiful.

A Closer Grand Canyon (top) and A Bigger Grand Canyon, both 1998.

The red, oranges, and pinks reference the colors in Georgia O'Keefe's Southwestern landscape paintings, connecting these images to our art historically-conditioned notions of the way the region must look.

The Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona (boasting an impressive architectural pedigree) recently opened to great excitement: the rates are low, the food is excellent, and the style: unreal. I can't wait to check in. It's got Hockney's paint-smeared fingerprints all over it and looks like it came straight from 1960s Palm Springs.

The pool at the Saguaro Hotel. Oh boy.