Prickly Pear Cactus

I sketched this lovely prickly pear at the top of the Window Trail Loop as we played with Casper and Kirby. These beauties are abundant here, so I captured them with pen and ink on the aged pages of one of my favorite travel journals.  We enjoyed prickly pear shiners and prickly pear tacos that were amazing, too!  These come in shades of yellow green to purplish pink, and I can't wait to paint them in oil and watercolor, too!  Painting number 5100 in 5100 days.  

Goldfield Mountain Inked

There is something very exciting about filling the very first page of a sketchbook.  This beautiful leather-bound book with dyed handmade paper is a treasure I picked up at a local market in Mesa.  Vintage in style, one of a kind, this book called to me immediately.  It was love at first glance, full of promise and dreams of places yet undiscovered, waiting to be sketched on it's pages.  So, I am starting with Arizona, and the rugged lines of the Goldfield Mountains.  I plan to use only pen and ink in this book, honoring the timeless handcrafted materials.  Only the best places will find themselves on these pages, and I'm so excited to start this journey.  Painting number 3380 in 3380 days.