Shari Elf is an artist and musician that lives in a cabin in the desert near Joshua Tree, California. She makes art from found objects, knits puppets, runs a roadside crochet museum, sews her own clothes, and is currently recording an album of children’s songs with her band The Kittens.

I photographed Shari back in July on the tail end of my West coast road trip. She sent me a few images of her cabin before this shoot and I was immediately intrigued…but totally amazed when I arrived at the end of the dirt road that she lives on. She has a 1970s Airstream RV in her front yard that has been gutted and converted into a painting studio. Across from it is a huge water tank next to a bed and outdoor lounge area. Random artifacts, vintage signs, and art projects in the works were strewn across the yard.

We shot a few different portrait setups outside then headed in as the sun set. The interior of her cabin was totally decked out like a movie set. Almost everything was a shade of green and the walls were adorned with quirky artwork pieced together by items she rescues from swap meets, thrift stores, and trash bins.

As we were finishing up the shoot Shari started playing me some songs that her band had been recording. We had a little extra time and decided to shoot this music video on the spot! Scroll down past the video for more portraits of Shari and some snapshots of her art pieces.

^View of the stars from the cabin at night.

FUN FACT: If you’re a member of couchsurfing.org and not afraid of coyotes you can spend a night out on that bed in Shari’s yard for free!

Be sure to check out Shari’s work on her site SHARIELF.COM She supports herself by selling art online and many of the pieces I posted are available for sale!