Near Salt River Canyon

 Near Salt River Canyon

Oil on canvas, 10x10

I left Tubac on Monday morning, a day later than I'd hoped. The delay came for an unusual reason. It rained! 

Dad and Paula say that a full day of rain is a very strange occurrence in Tubac - and it did rain, steadily and heavily - for the entire day. Mostly, the rain soaked into the ground; the river that runs through town also filled up a little. 

So I left on Monday, and drove north, spending most of the day on Route 77, and all of the day driving uphill. Up and up and up and up. The big van did great, but it was a slow day. 

I stopped to paint just outside of the Salt River Canyon - and while I love the painting I did, I sort of wish I'd waited for the canyons and deep, deep gorges. But I did spend a lot of time painting in the Grand Canyon. So I'll address Salt River when I get home. 

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That one day of rain made wildflowers bloom all around Tubac and Green Valley. 

And the rain brought an incredible clarity to the sky, as well. 

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Above is the Salt River Canyon, one of many photos I took and

 plan to paint over the course of the summer. 

The air was clear and the clouds dramatic over the high plains near Show Low, AZ, 

Here's me with my scary sunglasses... 

And here's a fun sculpture that I enjoyed seeing in downtown Tubac. 

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Dog of the Day

Here's Barkley again! He got loose and wandered over to see me as I was packing the van. He's been shaved for the summer, and was happy and wagging and full of love. 

Afternoon in Madera Canyon

Afternoon in Madera Canyon
Oil on canvas, 10x10

I had never really thought of Arizona as being mountainous. When I had a picture of the state in my head, it was a picture of a flat place, with red rocks and sagebrush and cactis - not amazing, craggy mountains with ragged rocks and bald tops. 

So I have learned a lot. There are plenty of those big, flat open spaces - but at least down here, in southern Arizona, the mountains dominate. And they are gorgeous. 

They capture the light and shadows in wonderful, moving ways, and it is a challenge to paint them - especially on a small canvas! But I like a challenge, and have set out to try to get the feeling of mountains, their bulk and their presence, in my paintings, and especially into these smaller paintings. 

Madera Canyon is a mountainous area just north of here. I imagine it would be pretty spectacular for hiking, as it overlooks more mountains, and to the west, a broad, flat expanse covered with that beautiful yellow grass. 

I painted off the main road on a quite cul-de-sac with no cars whipping by, honking, spewing dust. When I drove up, two deer in the grass bounded away. The rest of the time, I painted undisturbed in the beautiful, warm Arizona afternoon. 

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Madera Canyon is a gorgeous place, with mountains and beautiful yellow grass and great long views. 

When I pulled in to paint, I saw two deer running across the field. 

Ocotillo, the long wavy plants here, get bright red blossoms at their tips in the spring. 

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Dad and I visited a friend of his who lives in the mountains. She's an excellent painter, and her studio looks over parts of her beautiful garden. 

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Dogs of the Day

George (left) and Zack are best of friends. They came to Tubac with their humans, Cynthia and Kevin. Zack and George were such great dogs that they deserve to be the Dogs of the Day.