Zion Cactus

In Zion National Park in gorgeous Utah, the Virgin River bends in a tight U around the high cliff of infamous Angels Landing, where every year hikers fall thousands of feet to their deaths. In the curve of the river grows this patch of cactus on the steep hillside. In the late afternoons the leaves are pastel-colored, every one different, even though collectively they seem to be the same. The trick was rendering that variety while keeping the cactus as one overall color family. I also amped up the saturation and made the front leaf a bit blurry, to draw in the viewer.   

This piece was chosen by the Art League at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA for its juried June 2021 Landscape show. 

It comes already framed in a bronze, custom-made floater frame, ready to hang.