Desert Clouds

Desert Clouds is my latest painting of one of my favorite places -- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona.

There's just something about the namesake species of cactus that just grabs me. The organ pipe cactus plus the saguaros, in addition to the rugged mountains, are what the desert is all about.

Desert Clouds                                                 8" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm

 Sometimes I wish I could live there, although the torrid summer heat would probably kill me! And besides -- this is National Park land.

I expect this piece will be on my website soon, looking for a forever home.

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

A Rainbow in Stone

 A desert landscape, entirely from my imagination! Well, OK, a desert landscape with elements from various locales assembled together in one scene.

A Rainbow in Stone                      8" x 10" / 20cm x 25"

The background is from Sedona, AZ. The arch is actually a reversed image of Rainbow Bridge, UT (that's where the rainbow in the title comes from; besides, both the arch and rainbows are arches), the plant life is from southern AZ, and the golden barrel cactus are native to northern and eastern Mexico in the state of Chihuahua.

I wanted to do a painting that combined some of my favorite desert scenery, but besides that -- this is somewhat of a rendering of scenery I want to make on my HO scale model railroad.

To me, model railroad landscaping is analogous to a sculpture version of what I paint. It's a painting in 3D. The only things missing are the cloudy skies and distant mountains -- and I may work on that problem, too.

I hope I can succeed in pulling off a scene like this in HO scale!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com