My work is currently being displayed at currently be displayed at:
Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
TCI Wealth Advisers. Tucson, AZ
Michelle’s Gallery, Tubac, AZ
My passion for photographing cactus flowers started in May 2010. It started on a walk with my dog, Max. On weekends we had special routes. One was going down a dirt road pass which passed behind our neighbors’ backyard. One house had a double lot. The whole side yard was lovingly devoted to an enormous cactus garden.
I had moved to Tucson 2 years earlier. And, though I appreciated these desert plants and respected their prickly exteriors, I wondered why anyone would be so involved in nurturing them. Did they even need it? One day the owner/gardener was out tending his cacti. Max wandered over to be petted. The man seemed willing to accommodate Max, so I started chatting with him. He said that he had seen us pass by often and casually mentioned that the cactus flowers should be amazing this year. I smiled, thanked him for being kind to Max, and down the road we went.
The next weekend my perspective of cacti changed forever!
Max and I came down the road. First, I saw the colors – red, orange, yellow, purple. Then, I just stood in amazement, as I gazed at these delicate and stunning works of art. The owner was there with a big smile. “I see you are enjoying my beauties.” I asked him if it would be all right if I came back with my camera to photograph a few. “No problem. The blooms only last for the day or until the sun shines on them.”
For the next month, always accompanied by Max, I incessantly photographed my neighbor’s treasures. Up at dawn and down the road we went. Each day I learned a little more about these amazing flowers. Several thousand digital photographs later, I knew that I needed to share them with others. This compilation of art is the result of the seed that was started in the spring of 2010.