Plein air artist Reif Erikson has traveled the world to paint a variety of masterful pastel landscapes. On his website, you'll find a world map where you, too, can "travel" the globe to link to galleries of his artwork. Jump from California to Hawaii, then to England and China, and on, to see the results of his plein air experiences.

In the new October issue of The Pastel Journal, we introduced a new column, "Painting Spot," in which pastel painters share a favorite plein air location and corresponding painting. For this issue, I invited Erikson to write about his recent painting excursion to Canyon de Chelley in northern Arizona, where he travelled into the canyon on horseback to experience the beauty and mystery of a place once home to an ancient Anasazi community. You'll see his piece, Sensuous Desert, in the article, but he produced a number of inspired pastels on the trip, such as Anasazi Spiritland (top; pastel, 9x12) and Clouds Dancing (pastel, 9x12).