THE DEAD SEA, JORDAN

The Dead Sea, which sits at 1,300 feet below sea level, has the lowest elevation on Earth. Being this close to the planet’s deep mineral and salt deposits, it is one of the saltiest lakes in the world. The salt content is so high (nearly ten times more concentrated than most of the world oceans) you can float effortlessly in it.

As the sun begins to set over the water, I attempt a color palette. Even at this time of day, the heat is so intense I have to work fast before the watercolors dry.

The colors of the Dead Sea at dusk are dull and don’t reflect light: the muted gray sulfur of land, amber water, and the delicate muted hues of salt-encrusted rocks.

PETRA, JORDAN

Petra is perhaps the most spectacular ancient city remaining in the modern world. It gets its name from the Greek word petros, meaning “rock,” and is carved out of sandstone cliffs that rise out of the desert.

I arrive in the predawn hours and stay until dusk, watching the colors change throughout the day. The pale yellows of early morning shift to rosy reds in the midday sun. In the early evening, as the shadows lengthen, the colors flare into purples, deep yellows, golds, and browns. At dusk, the temples, tombs, and obelisks in the area seem to hold onto the day, glowing in the lingering light.

My Petra paint box represents the sands of time, with colors of fine sand ranging from off-white to dusty red, and from ochre to violet.