Description

Shimmering Light, Sierra Madre Yucca, Patagonia Lake, AZ
Bloomed 4-22-23 5:30 PM
Oil on Canvas 48×36

$12,600

Southern Arizona is pretty special. The elevation is a little higher, the big city is far away, and rolling golden hills spread this way that that until they are interrupted by sky islands–dramatic rises in elevation, where alpine environments thrive within a short distance of the desert landscape.

Near the historic town of Patagonia is Patagonia Lake. Like most Arizona Lakes, it is a man-made reservoir, created by the damming of Sonoita Creek, a tributary to the Santa Cruz River. Here, the hills are dotted with a yucca variety not common in other parts of Arizona. They ring like bells in the breeze and glow in the afternoon light.

One afternoon in April, while observing these marvelous blooms and the shimmering light on the water, I spotted several teenage boys considering a jump off the lake bank into the water. They were egging each other on, chattering.

The mom in me wanted to warn them of the danger of the jump. But really it didn’t look too bad, and if I was their age, I would have joined them in an instant. The best part of the scene was that there was not a cell phone in sight. Just boys being boys on a warm Arizona day. The whole scene made me smile, and I knew I would paint it.