"Apache Plume and Purple Sage"
9" x 13" original watercolor

This little watercolor was done in July and I intended to have it at the show in October but I ran out of time to mat or frame most of the paintings done in late summer. It is on Fabriano Extra White 140 lb. cold press. The scene is one I keep going back to because I am inspired by the mountains in Red Rock Canyon and also by the thick desert flora. I used small dashes of miskit for the flowers on the shrubs in order to preserve their light and after finishing the majority of the landscape I went back and put in the flower details at the end. The Apache Plume (in the middle ground right with the whitish blossoms) is an interesting plant because it's flower resembles a miniature five-petaled rose. But as many as 25 seed plumes develop and they look like tufts of feathers. They give the plant a soft, fluffy appearance which is a nice change from the yuccas and spiney cactus. We've seen these profuse "feather" shows in shades of delicate lime green, cream, pink and deep pink. An artist can't resist painting scenes like this.