This painting is another result of my trip to Catalina Mountain Park with the Tucson Plein Air Painters Society.  In the afternoon I took off for a hike up Montrose Canyon and spotted this great view of Pusch Ridge.  With the recent rains it just so happens there was water in the wash to make the view even better.  This is a 21 x 29-inch acrylic on watercolor paper painted in the studio.  See the Gallery for a larger version.

I attended a plein aire paintout with the Tucson Plein Air Painters Society.  I've not been a big fan of plein air painting because the lighting changes so fast.  This time I tried a smaller painting, 10 x 14 inches and it worked OK. This painting was done in about 2 hours using acrylics on mat board.  The rapid drying time requires that I paint very fast and use a misting bottle a lot but otherwise it was an enjoyable experience.  I met several other good folks who are old hands at plein air painting with oils.  Although it's difficult to show much detail while working so fast it's facinating to be able to quickly capture the essence of a scene in such a short time.  I plan to do a lot more of this.  See the Gallery for a larger version.

Sycamore Canyon provides a delightful oasis in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona.  This scene is a lunch stop on a recent hike down the canyon from the Ruby road.  It is acrylic on watercolor paper 21 x 29 inches.  I was especially intrigued by the many irregular cavities in the cliffs composed of Atascosa rhyolite tuff as highlighted in the mid-morning sun. See the Gallery for a larger version.