Art by TOMSA: Back from the Sonoran Desert

From below normal temperatures to above normal highs and back to below normal temperatures! That's how our first two weeks in February went for my wife, Gloria and me as we ventured out to the Southwest for some R&R in our old stomping grounds of Phoenix, AZ. Having lived in Arizona for 12 years before moving to Maine in 2003, Gloria and I decided to take a break from this endless winter and defrost in the 70+ degrees of what is the Southwest winter. I packed a bag full of plein air painting stuff in hopes of having some painting time and did manage to get some easel time in, although not as much as I'd planned. An unfortunate lack of sleep due to an unshakable cough kept me from getting out as early and often as I would have liked. Below are the results of some of my time painting.

These were all started plein air and completed in my studio upon our return. "White Tanks No.1" and "White Tanks No. 2" were both painted in the White Tank Mountain Regional Park which is located about 18 miles west of central Phoenix. The titles are from the fact that these are the first and second painting I've ever done of the "White Tanks" as they are called for short. If you're ever in the Phoenix area I would highly recommend a day trip out there, especially if you enjoy hiking. There are also very nice paved roads if you'd rather just drive around the park. Plenty of rest rooms and a very nice library/museum just outside of the entrance to the park. "Telegraph Pass Sentinel" is a painting of an old "friend". Telegraph Pass is part of South Mountain (background) in Phoenix and this saguaro cactus stands guard at the trail head that hikers can take up to the pass. When we lived in Phoenix we were about 2 miles from this spot and it was a favorite of mine to paint at. We have a similar painting I did of this scene in 1999. I found it interesting to see how much my old friend had grown in the 15 years since my first painting of him. The fourth paining "Trail to Camelback" was painted from a spot in Scottsdale, AZ about a half mile east of the Cholla Ridgeline that leads to Camelback Mountain, another popular destination for hikers. These are small works being 6"x8" and 6"x6" but from these and/or my many photos I took, I have plenty of inspiration to create some larger paintings. Stay tuned.

I have begun to include prices with the pieces I display on this blog in hopes of encouraging sales. Please feel free to contact me through my email address if you are interested in owning one or more of my originals or have questions concerning them. Prices shown do not include shipping, sales tax (Maine residents only) or other applicable charges.