Title: Desert Eden
Acrylic on canvas
36 in by 48 in
Scenery of a cactus garden and a castle in Phoenix, Arizona.
I wanted to show how the ground is desert dry, but there is a lot of water underground that can support a variety of plant life. Strong sun, as if Arizona is directly under a rainbow. As I paint, when I choose lines, I choose based on the feelings I get from the subjects. As I choose the colors, I think of their stories, as well as how they interact with each other.
I started with the overall feeling of how whimsical a place Arizona is to me. The strong sun gives beautiful colors to the sky as if this is the end of the rainbow. I appreciate that people take care of plants so beautifully, and the great landscaping. I wanted to show how I was surprised to find out that cacti have flowers and prickly pears. The more I studied the desert plants, they seemed alien to me. Then I realize that they are beautiful and unique, with so much resilience. Truly native to this environment. I then noticed the snake-like plants. From there, I started a story for the finishing touches.
There is a snake (snake plants) and fruits (prickly pear). Kingdom of heaven must be the castle that the pathway leads to. There is a dense plant area before the entry to the castle, which must be the judgment. On the opposite side (far right) must be hell that someone might get tossed into. The plants get the highlights from the sun to look magnificent as if touched by something divine. This is a spiritual place, one that I see as Eden.
Although I love many religions, and I am a learner of all things, my purpose was not to portray Catholicism, but instead to see how Native Americans viewed the desert plants, rocks, and places as sacred. When I saw Eden in this desert garden, I felt I could perhaps start to understand what Native Americans saw.