Hey there!

Yep, it’s April 9, and I am just now writing my first blog post for 2019. Whoops!

Anyhoo, I’m doing it now. And that’s what counts, right? It’s not like I can go back in time…

One of the big themes for the first part of 2019 was SNOW. Say what?! Yes, that’s right, on rare occasions, even Tucson gets some of that fluffy white stuff. This year, the mountains got dusted, capped, and coated so many times that I lost count, starting on New Year’s Day itself. The highlight, though, was February 22, when even the city of Tucson itself saw white flakes falling from the sky. My friend Ursula and I made sure that this rarity didn’t go to waste, and had a wonderful time playing in the snow at Saguaro National Park East. I even built a snowman!

I continued to exhibit my artwork at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop. The first show of 2019, “Año Nuevo, Obras Nuevas,” displayed three of my larger landscapes I created in 2018. I sold “Cactus Cartel,” a scene from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, to a collector from Portland, Oregon. I have another set of paintings on display there currently in their “Common Ground” exhibition (a tribute to Cesar Chavez), and have reportedly sold "Tomato,” a piece featuring the architecture of tomato roots (see below in my art round-up for image). I’m very pleased with the response to my work through these opportunities, and so very grateful to this non-profit gallery for all of their hard work.

Aaron and I took a couple of trips these past few months. We stayed in Choya Bay outside of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, at the end of January, enjoying the sounds and the smells of the sea, as well as some beers and Mexican food at JJ’s Cantina up the road. In March, we visited a different body of water, spending a long weekend at Lake Havasu City, where the Colorado River is dammed to form a beautiful desert oasis.

Mom and me at the Desert Botanical Gardens

February and March both brought some familiar faces to Arizona. In February, we enjoyed a visit from my sweet mom, and I had a great time touring her around Tucson. It was fun to give her a more in-depth experience of the area, visiting several local eateries, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tubac, San Xavier del Bac, Desert Botanical Garden, Saguaro National Park, and part of the Tucson Gem Show. My dear friend Allison visited for about 48 hours in March, and a whirlwind tour of Mexican eateries, Saguaro National Park, and Ironwood Forest National Monument ensued.

The snow and plentiful rain did their job this year, and wildflowers have abounded this spring. For the past month and a half, swaths of the desert have been covered in yellow, pink, orange, and blue. They popped on the hills around Lake Havasu, ran down the slopes of Picacho Peak, and prettied up the route to Ironwood Forest National Monument. It’s a good thing that digital cameras exist, because I hate to know how many rolls of film I would have devoted to capturing their precious petals.

Ursula and I hiked in the Superstition Mountains mid-March. This trip turned out to be a foreshadowing of things to come, as the Superstitions are located just east of the Phoenix metro area. Two weeks after our beautiful hiking adventure, Aaron and I relocated to Tempe, which is immediately adjacent to the east of the city of Phoenix, so that Aaron could pursue a new career opportunity. I’m adjusting to a slightly faster pace of living, more traffic, abundant Indian restaurants (if you know me, you know this makes me HAPPY!), and slightly less amazing views. I’m excited to have a new place to explore, new opportunities, and a closer proximity to places like the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu, Sedona, and my friend Kalisha! I’ll certainly miss Tucson, but luckily it’s still only an hour-and-a-half drive down I-10.

Last but not least, I cranked out 28 paintings over the past 3 months, including several commissions. I also marked down all paintings created prior to 2019, and sale prices will remain in effect until those pieces find a new home. All of my January, February, and March 2019 creations are featured below, with availability at the time of this blog posting indicated.

I’ll try to do better with next month’s blog post! Cheers to 2019!

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“One Main Street, Bisbee, Arizona” For sale as of this blog posting 7x5” — “One Main Street, Bisbee, Arizona”
For sale as of this blog posting
7x5”

“Rowdy Crew” For sale as of this blog posting 10x8” — “Rowdy Crew”
For sale as of this blog posting
10x8”

“Echo” For sale as of this blog posting 10x8” — “Echo”
For sale as of this blog posting
10x8”

“Fraternal” For sale as of this blog posting 9x12” No original photo, as this was created in nature — “Fraternal”
For sale as of this blog posting
9x12”
*No original photo, as this was created in nature*

“Valen-Tine III” SOLD 5x7” — “Valen-Tine III”
SOLD
5x7”

“Valen-Tine I” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” — “Valen-Tine I”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7”

“Valen-Tine II” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” — “Valen-Tine II”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7”

“White-Striped Agave Study” For sale as of this blog posting 5x3.5” — “White-Striped Agave Study”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x3.5”

“Buckhorn Cholla Study” SOLD 5x3.5” — “Buckhorn Cholla Study”
SOLD
5x3.5”

“Valen-Tine IV” SOLD 5x7” — “Valen-Tine IV”
SOLD
5x7”

“Valen-Tine V” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” — “Valen-Tine V”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7”

“Valen-Tine VI” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” — “Valen-Tine VI”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7”

“Lemon” Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop from 3/2/19-4/20/19 8x10” — “Lemon”
Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop from 3/2/19-4/20/19
8x10”

“Tomato” 8x10” SOLD — “Tomato”
8x10”
SOLD

“Pecan” Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop from 3/2/19-4/20/19 8x10” — “Pecan”
Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop from 3/2/19-4/20/19
8x10”

“Twenty Dollar View” SOLD (Commission) 14x11” — “Twenty Dollar View”
SOLD (Commission)
14x11”

“Maggie May and Ginger Afield” SOLD (Commission) 14x11” — “Maggie May and Ginger Afield”
SOLD (Commission)
14x11”

Compilation of photos of these two pups!

“Havasu Spring” For sale as of this blog posting 10x13” — “Havasu Spring”
For sale as of this blog posting
10x13”

“Cattail Cove State Park, Arizona: 3/2/19, 15:34:54” SOLD 3x2” — “Cattail Cove State Park, Arizona: 3/2/19, 15:34:54”
SOLD
3x2”

“Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona: 3/3/19, 12:26:27” For sale as of this blog posting 3x2” — “Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona: 3/3/19, 12:26:27”
For sale as of this blog posting
3x2”

“Tucson, Arizona: 2/6/19, 18:03:55” For sale as of this blog posting 2x3” — “Tucson, Arizona: 2/6/19, 18:03:55”
For sale as of this blog posting
2x3”

“Cattail Cove State Park, Arizona: 3/2/19, 15:44:23” For sale as of this blog posting 2x3” — “Cattail Cove State Park, Arizona: 3/2/19, 15:44:23”
For sale as of this blog posting
2x3”

“Camp Jackson” Gift for my mother 3x2” — “Camp Jackson”
Gift for my mother
3x2”

“Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona: 3/6,19, 9:39:03” SOLD 3x2” — “Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona: 3/6,19, 9:39:03”
SOLD
3x2”

“Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona: 3/6,19, 9:06:01” SOLD 2x3” — “Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona: 3/6,19, 9:06:01”
SOLD
2x3”

“Tucson, Arizona: 3/7/19, 18:39:40” SOLD 3x2” — “Tucson, Arizona: 3/7/19, 18:39:40”
SOLD
3x2”

“Pearl of a Girl” SOLD (Commission) 5x7” — “Pearl of a Girl”
SOLD (Commission)
5x7”

“Layers” SOLD (Commission) 8x10” — “Layers”
SOLD (Commission)
8x10”

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Two weeks ago, I meandered through the desert, past the beautiful blue waters of Lake Havasu, and into the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix has definitely lived up to its nickname, as UV rays have been in plentiful supply here, and there certainly hasn't been a single drop of rain.

I even got to experience a day at what they refer to as the "century mark" when the mercury climbed to 100 degrees on Sunday. You always hear people say that it's not as bad because it's a "dry heat." They're telling the truth. I'd take a million 100 degree days at 6% humidity over 90 degrees with 90% humidity back home. Heat is infinitely more tolerable when you don't feel like someone wrapped a wet blanket around your head. Sorry, Ohio Valley.

While I feel I've barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer, I've definitely enjoyed my time here. I had visited Scottsdale several years ago, but didn't really get to do or experience much on that trip. I honestly had no idea how large the city was until I got here. With a metro area of around 4.5 million people, it's around 3 times the size of my Louisville hometown.

It's been especially fun to spend some time with my friend Kalisha, who relocated to Phoenix from Louisville at the first of the year. She was kind enough to tour me all over the metro area, and I truly got a more local perspective thanks to her. We attended a self-defense class, visited the farmer's market, saw the city sprawl from up high at South Mountain Park, gazed at Camelback Mountain, hopped up to the hole in the rock at Papago Park, went to a Young Nonprofit Professional Network event, and devoured a few delicious meals.

Blooming saguaro at Desert Botanical Gardens

Kalisha also scored me a free pass to the Desert Botanical Garden. As a self-described "plant nerd," I think was probably the highlight of my time in Phoenix. Other stops included the Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera exhibit at the Heard Museum, the Rose Garden at Mesa Community College, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West. I took a day trip to Sedona and hiked in Oak Creek Canyon, and stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument's gorgeous cliffside dwelling on the way back to the city. I enjoyed lunch and olive oil tasting at Queen Creek Olive Mill (olives!!). South of Phoenix, I visited Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, a multi-story structure built in the 1300's by Ancestral Sonoran Desert People.

I also was really happy that my return to the Sonoran Desert unexpectedly coincided with the saguaro cacti's annual bloom. The white flowers, which open at night and only last through the following day, are Arizona's state flower.

One of the things I enjoy about being somewhere on a more extended timeframe is the chance to just spend time like a normal person. I ate some great Mexican food, spent a lot of time with my paintbrushes, shopped a little, enjoyed my Tempe neighborhood, and put some new tires on my car. After nearly 16,000 miles of traveling, it was time!

There remains plenty I haven't seen, done, or experienced in Phoenix, but I've learned to let that go and not wear myself out. Sometimes you have to walk the line between tourist and pretend local... between vacation and real life.

Where to next? I'm really excited to hit the road this morning and head toward one of our nation's least visited national parks, Great Basin National Park in Baker, Nevada. I'm very excited about the diversity of this remote park, which includes mountains, a glacier, ancient bristlecone pine trees, and a cave. Time to put some wear on these new tires!

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