One of my favorite things in this world is to surprise a friend with a painting as a present. Especially a close friend. Especially a close friend who does awesome things. This awesome friend Barak is not only a scientist who ensures Camp Pendleton's habitat is preserved, but is also an epic mountain climber. Before you can eat half of your Cliff bar, he has scaled an entire route.

It seemed only natural that I paint Barak a portrait of his natural playground: rocks. I had heard of Joshua Tree National Park's legendary routes and picked it immediately. I had to paint it quickly in time for his birthday, but had so much fun creating an imaginary rock pile in a place that I have never been.

Check out Barak's Yoga & Mountain Climbing retreats at www.summittoseayoga.com