Arizona Evening desert watercolor painting southwestern

Arizona Evening

I have lived in 7 different countries stationed in the military and have captured the beauty in art in many places. One of my favorite themes is Southwestern Art. Arizona Evening is a scene I painted while in Arizona visiting the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert. The colors and stillness of the desert is a beauty that I never imagined. There is life in the desert. The land, cacti, and mountains cry of an ancient past.

The ground in the desert of the American Southwest is home to a lively history: Indians, Cowboys, Outlaws, and are home to many ancient mysteries. The plants of this desert survive from very little water over long draughts. Arizona is the home of Tombstone, mystical Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

This particular painting is of the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona. The red colors in the sand mimic the mystical colors and vortex powers in the city of Sedona. The Saguaro Cactus shown in the painting stands for the longevity and power of the desert. The cactus can grow up to 50 feet in height where birds over watch the landscape.

The Ocotillo Cactus is in the foreground and drawn in black with pen and ink. The sun setting in the west turns this dark green plant into a black plant when viewed from the east. This particular scene is in wintertime. In the summer months the Ocotillo blooms red gorgeous flowers.

To me the desert shows a different part of the world than from where I am accustomed. Initially, when I moved to El Paso, Texas, I honestly thought what is there to do here, in the desert? While living in the southwestern United States I saw first hand why people love it there. It is beautiful year round, the people are uniquely genuine and nice, and everywhere you turn you are standing on top of history, exciting history. The desert also reminds me of the American Indian, the first American, who I have immense respect for. In the southwest you experience the unique, genuine lifestyle of the American Indians and it is a peaceful enlightening experience I will never forget. 18 x 24 inches original southwestern large desert modern art painting

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Southwestern Watercolor Paintings

Indian Blanket flower paintings

Indian Blanket - flower paintings

This painting is the Indian Blanket wildflower flower painting, also known as Fire Wheel, or Blanket Flower. While living in El Paso, Texas I was told by many locals in New Mexico that this wildflower is a favorite to the Aztec Indians. After further research I found this to be true. This wildflower is also the state flower of Oklahoma. The Kiowa Indians thought the Indian Blanket wildflowers brought good luck. This flower painting has very attractive and magnificent colorful blooms.

According to history, the name Indian Blanket came from when ancient Aztec Indians wove a blanket with the colors brown, red, and yellow for his or her burial. The following spring the grave was covered with beautiful flowers in the same colors of the Indian Blanket.

The beauty of nature is only intensified by this flower’s spectacular colors. The flower weaves a field with vibrant color as though part of an illustration in a children’s storybook. As each pedal blows with the spring air you can feel the power of nature embracing your soul.

I was inspired to paint this painting by the history of the first American people, the Indians and their natural living experiences in the Southwestern United States. The beauty of the landscape in New Mexico and Arizona is scattered with the Indian Blanket wildflower. Otherwise boring roadside fields are woven in brilliant wildflowers, of which the Indian Blanket is my favorite.
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Flower Paintings

Light at Night 3 lighthouse painting

Another lighthouse tried to do this one with an evening nautical twilight theme. This was an experimentation with dark water, the light from the lighthouse and using gouche with the ends of the waves where they crash with the beach. View or purchase this art at my gallery at
Lighthouse Paintings