Realm of the Bighorn

 Working on and off as time and energy permitted, I finally was able to finish a new painting! A scene in Joshua Tree National Park, California.

A bighorn sheep ram temporarily left the relative safety of the rocks and mountain to browse on vegetation on the flatland. The ram is momentarily distracted by the raucous cawing of a flock of ravens, where one raven undoubtedly has food -- and the other birds want it!

I might mention -- this ram doesn't actually live in the Park. He's one of the bighorns I photographed at the Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Palm Desert, CA.

I hope you like the painting!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Small Paintings of a Big Desert

 I would call Joshua Tree National Park a big desert!! And a small part of an even bigger desert.

This latest painting shows the Park at the very beginning of sunrise. We were getting sunrises like this every morning for a while, and I'm sure we'll get more when the monsoon season starts up in a month or so.

Anyway, here it is. 5" x 7" / 12.7cm x 17.8cm. Enjoy!!

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Arizona Desert with Bunny

 Arizona Desert with Bunny is my latest painting. The title is somewhat reminiscent of how landscape artists used to title their paintings -- nothing poetic or unusual, just descriptive of what a viewer could see for himself or herself. And "bunny" really should be "desert cottontail rabbit," but "bunny" is cuter and shorter!

The site is somewhere east of Quartzsite, AZ, but I don't remember the name of the place. I normally conceal critters more than I did here, but somehow, a bunny more in the open seemed appropriate.

Enjoy!

Arizona Desert with Bunny                      8" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

Firerock

The latest painting -- Firerock, 8" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm.

Firerock (aka Red Mountain) is the volcanic mountain out there which I believe is on the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community south of Fountain Hills (NE of Scottsdale), AZ.

This is how it looked when I drove through there to set up for an art show in Fountain Hills. A storm had just cleared up, and the desert had all these beautiful colors. I added some clouds, and I deleted the homes and gated communities that had been built where I showed open desert in the foreground.

I went by at the right time. The following evenings, the area wasn't as colorful. On occasion, timing is everything! 😃