Arizona & Sonoran Desert

The giant saguaro cactus and the harsh drylands of the Sonoran desert - along with the wonderful bird and plant species that make the desert their home  - had always caught my imagination.  Earlier this year I travelled through the area for a week or so, ending up at the Grand Canyon.  

The plan is to develop a series of woodcut prints and oil paintings from all the fieldwork.

Anna's Hummingbird was seen often - but how to creatively include such a tiny jewel in such a dominating 'other worldly' landscape? Should keep me busy back in the studio.

 These are three (A3) sketchpad pages made over a period of days in the Saguaro National Park is in southern Arizona, named for the large saguaro cactus which is native to its desert environment.  They include notes on a pair of Gila Woodpeckers (above left) and Cooper's Hawk (below left).  Above is a habitat sketch focusing on the intensity of late morning light on a stand of saquaros surrounded by the intense yellow of creosote bushes.