Southern Deserts, Sea of Cortez, and Sky Islands

Saguaro forests cling to the hillsides and rugged mountain ranges that separate the large, flat, creosote covered alluvial plains. The Verde, Salt, Gila, and San Pedro rivers have carved canyons, flow through gentle river valleys, and across the flat desert plain all but disappearing before reaching the Colorado River and the Sea of Cortez. The lowlands of the Sonoran Desert are interrupted by small mountain chains and lofty peaks called sky islands,  some rising nearly 10,000 ft in elevation; forests of oak, juniper, pinyon, ponderosa, and Douglas fir; and the iconic, dramatic Grand Canyon.

From the base of the Mogollon Rim to the coast of the Sea of Cortez, my paintings and drawings of the Sonoran Desert seek to encapsulate the dramatic land forms, diverse ecosystem, and exotic desert-adapted plants. Be it the sense of enclosure from the lush desert flora following an early spring rain to the panoramic views of the Superstition Mountains, this body of work showcases my favorite places of the Sonoran Desert.