Desert Spring

 Wow -- today's April Fool's Day. Well, as far as I'M concerned, it's April but I ain't no fool!!

I just finished a painting, Desert Spring, which seemed especially appropriate for this time of year. It depicts a scene in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona. My focus was on the distant mountain (don't know if it has a name or not). After I varnish it, I'll probably offer it for sale on my website -- links are below under my signature).

On another note, I'm hoping to be able to travel to San Antonio, TX in time to see the total solar eclipse. However, at this writing, it seems possible that much of Texas will be overcast and maybe even raining. This would obviously obscure the view of the sun which would render the trip a bust. We'll see in the next couple of days what the weather forecast says, but we may end up canceling the trip. 😢

Anyway, here's the painting. Enjoy!

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

Well, another year has come and gone...and so quickly! How is that happening?

I managed to finish only one painting in December. It seems like it took me forever -- but not because it was especially hard, but I had trouble making decisions about it; plus, there were lots of interruptions AND I wasn't feeling very motivated.

But here it is: Crater Range, an area between Gila Bend and Ajo, Arizona. It's a volcanic-looking area that features an Air Force bombing range on the other side of those mountains! (I never heard any bombs going off the times I visited there -- thankfully).

Crater Range         8" x 10"

The size is 8" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm. Enjoy!

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

Small Joshua Tree Paintings Galore!!

This isn't exactly the newest painting of Joshua Tree National Park, but it IS one I forgot to post here on my blog!!

As before, it's 5" x 7"/12.7cm x 17.8cm and can be framed or, according to my notions, placed on a small mini easel for display. Enjoy!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Another Small Painting of Joshua Tree National Park

Yet ANOTHER small (5" x 7"/12.7cm x 17.8cm) painting of Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA.

I stretched reality just a little -- normally, Joshua trees and the yellow-flowered goldenbush don't bloom at the same time. But that's not to say it couldn't happen! 

Enjoy!!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Hula and the Desert

 What a combination -- paintings of Hawaii (with hula dancers) and the desert in Joshua Tree National Park!! Well -- somebody's gotta do it! 😃

I wish I was better at painting hooman beans than I am, but I guess I just need to paint them more often. But so far, this is what I'm able to do. Enjoy!!

                                    Moonlight Hula         11" x 14" / 27.0cm x 35.9cm

                                  Untitled                            5" x 7" / 12.7cm x 17.8cm

The Last (for Now) Mini Painting of the Desert

 OK -- just one more small (5" x 7" / 13cm x 18cm) painting of Joshua Tree National Park. Now I want to see how the public/tourists like 'em before I do more.

For now, I'm working on a painting of Hawai'i and hula dancers -- something just for me. It's unlikely I'll offer the original for sale, but maybe I'll make it available for prints on Fine Art America.

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

San Gorgonio

 Mt. San Gorgonio is one of the two mountains that cause this area to be a desert. It, along with Mt. San Jacinto and the associated mountains, form the "rain shadow" that makes the rain fall on the coastal side of the mountains, but tends to exclude rain from here; hence, desert.

🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵

San Gorgonio is also the title of my latest painting:

The size is 11" x 14" / 27.9cm x 35.6cm. This piece will be a "thank you" gift to a couple that helped us out while The Wiffee was in a nursing facility. (By the way, she's out now and is doing fine). Sometimes the yellow flowers don't photograph as prominently as they appear in the painting, but hopefully, you get the idea.

Meanwhile, painting will be interesting for a while -- the lens implants following my cataract surgery have developed a cloudy film, giving everything a dreamy look. Treatment is fast and easy -- laser treatment. But getting in to see the ophthalmologist has been quite a challenge! Soon, I hope!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Three New Desert Paintings!

Visiting Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona last month definitely energized my desire to paint the desert -- I've completed three small paintings since we returned on 04 April!! All are 8" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm.

A Desert Stroll

Eagle's Nest

Arizona Desert

Can you tell? I LOVE the desert!! I think I needed to see saguaro and organ pipe cacti in their natural settings. (Eagle's Nest is a scene in local Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA). I love Joshua trees and our Mojave desert, too, but I think I needed to be immersed in the Sonoran desert of Arizona for more inspiration.

I'd say it worked!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Totem and Turkey Vulture

Totem and Turkey Vulture is the tentative title of my latest painting.

"Totem" is the name of the tall skinny rock formation, Totem Pole (the formations to the left of it are the Yei Bi Chei rocks) in Monument Valley/Navajo Tribal Park, AZ, USA. The vulture should be obvious! 😊) As usual, I wanted to emphasize the vast distances one sees in this incredible land! (And, of course, I'm hoping it blows the viewer away!!) The size is 12" x 36" / 30.5cm x 91.4cm.

Ahhhh...I love 💖 the desert!!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Irwindale

Remember that old song about the lazy hazy crazy days of summer? Well, for me, it's mostly been about lazy! Good grief!! It seems like all I want to do these days is nuthin!! Maybe mess around on my laptop, but that's about it!

Well -- at least I did manage to get a painting done last month -- a small (8" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm) landscape of a place called Irwindale, which is also the title of the piece:

Irwindale isn't in the desert, but it's close enough to a desert-y look to suit me. It's east of Pasadena, CA which is east of Los Angeles. It's an area where lots of these yuccas (pronounced "yuck-ah", Hesperoyucca whipplei), also known as the Lord's Candle, bloom in mid-June if southern California had enough rain during the winter months -- a rare commodity these days.

I live about a two-hour's drive from here, so I rarely get to see this view anymore, assuming the yuccas survived the scant rainfall they've gotten over the years of drought. I hope they're still there -- I'd like to see them again.

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Superstitions

Superstitions are, of course, funny kinds of beliefs about things; it is also the name of a group of mountains in the desert east of Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Superstitions                      acrylic/panel                     18" x 24"/46cm x 61cm

And so -- my latest painting is entitled Superstitions, in reference to the above-named mountains. I wanted the image to have a sort of surreal, almost spooky feel to capitalize on the name of these rocks.

I've been to these mountains several times, but admittedly -- I never saw them enshrouded in clouds. But I have seen photos of cloud-covered Superstition Mountains, and I knew that was what I needed to do! Plus -- I want to get more into atmospheric effects in my paintings, anyway.

So -- enjoy the painting, and no -- I'm not superstitious!!😃

Possibly Prefers a Prickly Perch!

Cactus Wren is my last painting from 2020! 08" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm, acrylic on panel.

Cactus wrens are birds we see in the southwestern deserts (such as where I live!) and seem to be able to land on and flit about within the prickliest cactus without impaling themselves or stabbing themselves with thorns. In fact, they even build their nests in the branches of cactus like the teddy bear cholla shown in the painting. I can't imagine what predators would be able to get past the thorns and attack the birds or the eggs!

The males and females look pretty much the same, so I couldn't tell you if this birdie is a boy or a girl. While I can't say cactus wrens are songbirds, they make a distinctive sound that I've heard referred to as the "call of the desert." I agree with that characterization. This is what they sound like.

I love these critters!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

California's Central Coast

My latest painting is a commissioned piece that shows Atascadero along California's central coast.

The client owns a retirement home in the area and wanted some paintings that highlighted the beauty of the landscape there, especially when wildflowers are at their peak!

Southern California is a beautiful place during March and April. When the rest of the country is still enduring snow and freezing temps, winters here are pleasant, and -- except for the desert -- we experience green Christmases, with flowers soon to follow.

A second commission will be coming. It will feature a grove of trees on the client's property.


Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com

Superbloom

Superbloom is the title of my latest painting. It shows some of the rolling hills of California when nature featured a spectacular display of wildflowers, especially the fluorescent orange of California poppies. The size is 11" x 14" / 28cm x 36cm, acrylic on panel.

Superbloom

Some parts of this area were extremely crowded, with lots of people and cars wanting to get up close (and into) the fields of flowers. However, I tend to like more expansive vistas and was perfectly happy being down the road from the crowded spots.

It's hard to say when the next wet winter and superbloom will happen, but I'm sure glad we were able to see THIS one! I expect to make several paintings from this trip -- this one is only the first!

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

 

Diorama Doings

Work continues on the diorama I'm making for the Hi Desert Nature Museum in Yucca Valley, CA. Unfortunately, the process of trying to sell our house and buy a mobile home has greatly slowed me down, which is quite frustrating. But I work as best I can. It's hard, too when I'm airbrushing some vegetation -- I have to do it in the garage, and it's been around 100°F / 39C lately. That's when I find out how much I can sweat!!

The diorama isn't quite finished yet, but here's how it looks so far. The glass front is in place -- sorry about the reflections!

 

MORE Zillions of Flowers!!

The California "superbloom" has been goin' on for awhile. Here are a few photos of the area outside of Walker Canyon, just north of Lake Elsinore, CA. (We didn't go into Walker Canyon itself -- too many people, too many cars parked there, and too many people leaving the trails so they can take pictures of loved ones IN the flowers -- with all the trampling one would expect!)

Poppies

California Wildflowers

Horses and Wildflowers

I already have a painting in progress of California Wildflowers!

Superblooms are a relatively rare event in southern California; hence, people go a little nutzo when it happens. I understand -- I just wish those people would have a little more respect for the land and the flowers.

OK -- soapbox time is over! Have a beautiful spring day, wherever you are!

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

 

A Prickly Path

As is common knowledge, I love the desert. I love other types of scenery, too, but the desert keeps calling me back. (As it should -- I LIVE in the desert!)

So my latest painting is of the desert -- somewhere in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, Arizona, back in the days (early 1980s) when I could hike around and scramble up steep hillsides without too much trouble (although The Wiffee would not have approved of me doing so had she been with me that day). ☺

A Prickly Path    10" x 08" / 25cm x 20cm

I love these birds-eye views of the desert that show the infinite, wide-open spaces of the landscapes that seem to stretch out forever.

I added more space to form a path than there actually was at that time -- but I still wanted a sense of "better watch where you step, or you'll be impaled by cactus thorns."

In addition, there were saguaro cactus there, but none were visible from this spot. So I included one!

I enjoyed making this painting, which I started in November 2018! Unfortunately, the holidays and other stuff slowed me down quite a bit. But it's finally finished! Now I'm ready to move on to the next piece of desert art!

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.FineArtAmerica.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)