Saguaro Sunrise

Saguaro Sunrise

9x12 soft pastel

How about one more cactus?  The Saguaro is another interesting cactus. This species grows very slowly.  It begins to flower around the 50 year mark and sprouts arm-like structures only after 75-100 years (if it sprouts them at all).  The Saguaro can also grow over 70 feet tall and live well over 150 years.  As we drive in and out of Phoenix we see thousands of them.  I'm always taking pictures as if I'm seeing them for the very first time.  Sometimes I think, if they could only talk!  I'd love to know what history they've silently witnessed.

How do you paint a horizontal 9x12 painting when your subject matter is so tall?  And still include shadows?  You zoom in really close.  An interesting look at a tall Saguaro.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus
9x12 soft pastel

Another painting for the cactus series...the beautiful Opuntia (more commonly known as the prickly pear).  Something I didn't know until now, cactus is native only to the Americas.  Hmmm, I guess that's proof that you learn something every day!  Or, did you already know that little piece of trivia?

Barrel Cactus

Barrel Cactus
9x12 soft pastel

This is a cactus I found during one of my early morning walks in Phoenix. The patterns we find in nature are truly amazing.  This overhead view of a barrel cactus is no exception. 

Agave Morning

Agave Morning
9 x 12, soft pastel

 

I had time for a tiny bit of painting during a recent trip to Phoenix.  An early morning sunrise cast amazing shadows off the cacti near my mother-in-law's home.  The warmth of the sunlight was just beginning to reach the tips of this agave plant.  I tried to capture the beauty of that cool quiet moment.

Botanical Garden - 2

Purple Iris
12x9, soft pastel

I had to try my hand at painting this iris before summer begins.  This was a gorgeous one I found at the botanical garden a few days ago.  Just as the sun was peaking out from behind a storm cloud,  it lit up the bloom.  A beautiful sight.

I had high hopes I'd paint three paintings today (not sure what I was thinking).  This is the only one I could manage to do...oh well, there's always tomorrow!

Behind the Guest House

Behind the Guest House

10x8, soft pastel

Another stab at plein air painting yesterday.  My friend Tina and I are both a bit shy about painting in public...mainly because we're new at plein air...and fairly new at painting landscapes...and actually (for me anyway) only a year into using soft pastels. Together, we build each other's confidence and laugh a lot in the process.  Every outing is an adventure and there's always something we forget to bring.  This time for me it was bug spray.

We drove around for awhile and found a gorgeous property along the Boise River.  The Boise River is much like the Snake River with many twists, turns and in shallow areas branches off on occasion.  With permission from the landowner we painted along one of the branches behind his guest house.  It was an absolutely picture perfect day (at least for a few hours) before a late spring thunderstorm rolled through.  By that time though, we had packed up our gear and were enjoying a scrumptious lunch at a favorite local cafe.

Rainy Day Irises

Rainy Day Irises

11x9, soft pastel

Even though it was a rainy day at the Botanical Garden, the irises were spectacular!  I love how the background grasses were lit up on this particular day.  They really accentuating the purple blooms.