The Good News and the Bad News

 The good news and the bad news...

First, the good news -- I sold a painting off of my website (which, in case you forgot, is www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com)! Totally unexpected. Surprises like that are nice!

This is the piece that sold:

Hooded Oriole                                                      08" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm

(The red dot in the lower right corner means it sold!!)

Now for the bad news...

I keep reading (mostly on Facebook) a lot of stuff about the political situation in this country, along with some rather vicious attacks on people who -- in all good faith -- happen to disagree with them. I've been the victim of such attacks myself.

And it's getting to me. I feel so discouraged all the time, and it's getting worse. I'd leave Facebook if it wasn't for the good stuff -- information from real friends, artwork others have posted, stuff like that.

But maybe the good news isn't worth dealing with the bad. I've got some serious thinking to do. (Sigh......)

Mark Junge

Bryce Canyon National Park

Here are two paintings of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah (in the USA) that I was commissioned to do, using photos that the client provided.

 
















I've been to the Park several times -- but I've never painted it before. All of those rock formations and hoodoos have a lot of detail in them, and even the above paintings didn't capture all of the ruggedness of the place.

Still, I think they turned out reasonably well, and I was able to use colors and contrast in ways that straightforward photographs can't capture.

And now -- I can concentrate on ANOTHER commission!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com

Pinnacle Peak, Arizona

Pinnacle Peak is the subject of my latest painting (I haven't come up with a title yet), a small piece I squeezed in between other projects. The size is 08" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm and, as usual, is acrylic on panel:

Sadly, the desert scenery has been removed and the Peak is now surrounded by streets, houses, shops and golf courses. I'm glad I had an opportunity to see it in its natural glory way back in March, 1983.

(Note: Pinnacle Peak Park is still located on the other side of the Peak, and one can still access the hiking trails that meander across the hill -- only the view just ain't the same).

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com

 

Solstice

Today is winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere, anyway).

Some people have almost religious-like celebrations on summer and winter solstice days (as well on spring and autumnal equinoxes). I don't do that, but winter (and, to a lesser degree, summer) solstice and the days before and after are great days. Why? Well, for landscape photography, of course! Which leads to paintings!!

In southern California, the sun tends to be low almost all day on winter solstice. I like low sun when I take pictures of the great outdoors -- the lighting and shadows are awesome when the sun hits the land at an angle. (Unlike summer solstice, when the sun is overhead much of the day and gives flat lighting on featureless landscapes).

Summer solstice can be a good day for photography, too, when early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The sun is further north than in the winter, and sometimes this can provide a lighting direction that gives better photo opportunities than in the winter -- it can make the difference between side lighting in the winter and backlighting in the summer, with very different looks.

I didn't have time to go out today and take pictures here in the Mojave desert and in Joshua Tree National Park. But the "pull" to get out there and do some shooting always hits me when winter solstice rolls around.

Maybe next year, huh? 😊

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com

Quenching the Land

Quenching the Land is a painting I made years ago -- I think before I even began this blog.

Quenching the Land                                       16" x 20" / 41cm x 51cm

It's no secret that deserts are hard-up for rain; thus, when it comes, it's such a blessing to the plants and animals that live there.

The scene features a grouping of monzogranite boulders in Joshua Tree National Park with its namesake Joshua trees and some yuccas in bloom. The painting is hanging in the Hi Desert Nature Museum in Yucca Valley, CA.

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www/FineArtAmerica.com (for prints)
 

Dioramas in Progress

Besides working on my fine art paintings, I've also been busy with a commission from the local Hi Desert Nature Museum in Yucca Valley, CA. I'm making two habitat dioramas showing some of the wildlife and overall look of our Mojave desert!

So far, I'm still painting the background image which I hope to finish within a few days. I have to say, this is the largest painting I've ever done (86" wide x 67" high / 2.2m W x 1.7m H). And I'm working on the painting on site -- not in the studio, where I would use an easel and all my paraphernalia laid out where I'm used to having it. Oh, well.

Here's how it looks so far -- a slightly modified scene from Joshua Tree National Park:

Daytime Diorama

From the title, you may guess there will also be a Nighttime Diorama as well. Once the background is finished (with more small rocks and additional plant species), the foreground will be the three-dimensional component with ground, rocks, taxidermy animals and some plants. I'm making the 3-D foreground, too, although I don't know yet if I'll be placing the critters where they belong, or if the museum staff will handle that.

Then, if I'm not too tired, I work in my studio on my paintings, too!

It'll be nice to have both dioramas finished and see what the response is. I hope they will add much to the museum and that the public will love 'em!

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.FineArtAmerica.com (for prints)

Zillions of Desert Flowers!

By now, it's common knowledge the southwestern deserts, including the California deserts, are experiencing a superbloom thanks to the many rain storms we've had over the past months. More flowers than usual appear like magic and transform the typical desert browns to carpets of unbelievably zonking color that appears almost fluorescent!

The color doesn't always show very well in photos, but of course, in paintings (such as the ones I plan to do), the color will jump off the canvas or panels!

Yellow and lavender flowers light up the desert floor.

Yellow desert dandelions are in full bloom as
the stick-like ocotillo prepares for a show in a few weeks.

A barrel cactus blossoms in front of a chuparosa.

A stick-like ocotillo, a palo verde tree and
yellow-flowered brittlebush set off Indian Head Mountain.

A red-flowered chuparosa nestles
in a clump of lavender-colored phalecia.

The gently-scented pinkish blooms of

sand verbena color the waves of dunes.

These images, along with many others I made (and may continue to take) will certainly lead me to create paintings that highlight the desert at its blazing best!

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com

www.SouthwestSpaces.com

www.FineArtAmerica.com (for prints)

Clouds

Clouds                            8 x 10 / 20cm x 25cm

Clouds is the title of my latest painting, finished -- at long last -- this past weekend. (Sometimes it seems to be harder and harder to work on paintings and to finish them in a timely manner -- so frustrating!)

The size is 8" x 10" ( 20cm x 25cm ) on panel -- a size I've been using lately to make a lot of paintings. Easy to pack up and ship, and for many people, small and miniature art is a desirable size to collect those images of memories of happy times in the desert. Or wherever.

This scene shows my favorite view -- in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona, looking south toward the distant Sonoita (or Sonoyta) Mountains of Mexico and featuring those vast, wide-open vistas that one can see from this spot.

I was actually there when the clouds created alternating patterns of sun spots and cloud shadows on the landscape as I depicted in the painting. However, I have heard from friends that the organ pipe cactus on the right has died since I was last there.

A place of beauty, peace and serenity -- as long as one has water, food, A/C in the summer and heat in the winter! Otherwise, the desert is a harsh environment! But I prefer to show it at its most glorious.

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.FineArt America.com (prints)

Autumn in the Mojave

Autumn in the Mojave is my latest painting (although lately it has felt more like winter in the Mojave!)

Autumn in the Mojave           11" x 14" / 28cm x 36cm

The scene is based on a view in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, USA. It's rare to see the desert like this even when it rains, but it certainly does happen. The landscape is brightened by autumn-blooming wildflowers -- the larger rabbitbrush and the smaller desert marigold in the immediate foreground.

The desert is an amazing place with many different moods, visible to those who spend lots of time here and are fortunate enough to catch the land during its fleeting moments of magic and mystery.

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com
www.FineArtAmerica.com (for prints)

Joshua Tree Rocks!

I don't know if Joshua Tree Rocks! is a phrase that would be understood a hundred years from now -- the whole double entendre thing -- but it's the title of my latest painting!

Joshua Tree Rocks!                   16" x 20" / 41cm x 51cm

The title refers to a site located in Joshua Tree National Park in California, USA and the many collections of monzogranite rock formations arising out of the otherwise flat earth. Joshua trees, the Park's namesake, are scattered about, and following winter rains, the place gets wildflowers like these in April or May.

Admittedly, I've never seen many flowers in this particular place. Nearby, yes, but not here. Also, the yellow-flowered shrubs, goldenbush, were once plentiful, but most of them seem to have disappeared even after heavy winter rains. I think the ongoing drought has forced many of them to die, which is unfortunate.

I painted the scene to make the rock formation the center of interest. We artists know how to do things like that, y'know! 😀

In the end, I wanted a beautiful, warm (but not hot) view of a place I love. Enjoy your mini-vacation!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com
www.FineArtAmerica.com (for prints)

Ready for the Gallery

OK -- the five paintings I've been slaving over for months are finished, varnished and framed. They're ready for the gallery.

It may not seem like much, but it takes a long time when one paints the way I do. I paint in transparent layers, so it's like doing the same painting over and over and over again! The results are worth it, but it's not for those who want to get a lot done in a short time period!

I'll repeat the gallery's address plus their phone number which I didn't have last time:

60WestGallery Fine Arts

220 E Wickenburg Way

Wickenburg, AZ

541-206-2543 

The gallery's "soft opening" is October 11, 2018. If nothing goes wrong, I should have my paintings there in time, along with several other artists plus the owner who is himself an artist. 

I can't come for the opening (or the grand opening in November), but I'll be there in spirit -- and my paintings will be there! I hope you have a chance to drop by and see the offerings.

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com
www.FineArtAmerica.com (for prints)

 

Last of the Snow Paintings -- for Now!!

Well, I finished up the last of the five paintings with snow in the landscapes for the new gallery in Wickenburg, AZ. It's kind of nice to have that pressure done with! We'll deliver them to the gallery in time for the "soft" opening and may still be there by the grand opening in November. If they don't sell first!

Totem    24" x 30" / 61cm x 76cm

Totem refers to the tall, skinny spire on the right. (The Yei Bi Chei Rocks are to the left and are named for the supernatural beings who bring healing to people during medicinal ceremonies even today).

Four Peaks   24" x 30" / 61cm x 76cm

Four Peaks is a mountain located east of Scottsdale, AZ and north of the Superstition Mountains and Apache Junction. (From this angle, only three of the four peaks are visible). I love being here in March when the wildflowers are going to town and when the Peaks may have a little snow on them yet. (I hope to do a painting of that soon).

But in winter on rare occasions, this area can get light snow on the desert floor and lots of snow in the mountains.

These two paintings plus the previous three will be shown in the soon-to-be-open 60West Gallery in Wickenburg, AZ. I don't believe they have a telephone number or website yet, but the address is as follows:

60WestGallery Fine Art
220 E Wickenburg Way
Wickenburg, AZ

The gallery is far enough away where I don't expect to be there very often, except to drop off paintings. But I hope you'll be able to stop by and see these works in the flesh!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com

 

Snowline

Another painting with snow!! My latest effort is Snowline, 24" x 36" / 61cm x 91cm.

Snowline                                                                               24" x 36"

Snow is rare in the Sonoran desert regions of southern Arizona, but it does occur. It's sunset, and I chose to place the snow higher up from the desert floor, and even then, it's a light dusting that, soon after the sun rises again, it will be gone.

I included some critters typical of Sonoran desert fauna -- two desert bighorn sheep and a great horned owl who seemed to have taken each other by surprise.

Snowline -- detail

Frankly, the owl was the most difficult thing to paint. On the painting, the owl is less than 1" / 2cm tall, and it's hard to include enough detail to make the owl look like an owl with its head turned! But I'm happy enough with it, so there it is!

Snowline is another in a small series of paintings that will feature light amounts of snow, mostly in desert settings. They will be offered for sale at the 60WestGallery, due to open next month in Wickenburg, AZ. Maybe I'll see you there!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com
www.Fineart America (for prints)

Watch the Birdie(s)

One of the things I love about our home in the desert is seeing all the wild critters that come by -- bunnies and birdies, in particular.

We have a hummingbird feeder that hangs where we can see it from inside the house. Of course, it isn't just hummingbirds that enjoy the sugar-water. House finches and several species of desert-dwelling orioles have a sweet "tooth," too!

This is probably my favorite birdie to see (although hummingbirds are awfully cute, too!) This is a hooded oriole,  Icterus cucullatus. The males around here are a brilliant, almost fluorescent, yellow with black and white markings. They're so colorful!

One thing I've noticed about these and other birds -- they're incredibly cautious! Whenever they land on the feeder (which is out in the open), they sit there and look in all directions, carefully making sure nothing is going to attack them while feeding. Once they're satisfied it's safe, they'll take a quick drink, then return to looking for predators.

They'll repeat this routine several times until they finally get enough sugar-water, then they fly off.

It reminds me of the advice given to humans -- be aware of your surroundings! With so many human predators in the world, we need to be cognizant of who is nearby and what they may be doing. As the birds instinctively know, it's a dangerous world, and while an attitude of fear isn't necessarily called for, we must be ready to respond to anything that may be dangerous to us.

The birdies know. They woundn't live very long if they don't follow through. We should do the same.

(Someday, I'm gonna have to paint a hooded oriole!)

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com