"Shimmering Heat"

Oil on W/C paper

5" x 5"

(c)2011 NL Matus

More heat. More Agave. This time in oil on heavy, gesso-coated watercolor paper. I liked the raised perspective, and the way this worked well with the square format. This is a studio painting, done from watercolor sketches done on site in the desert.

"Red Agave"

Acrylic on Canvas board

6" x 4"

(c)2011 NL Matus

I am in love with the Agave. There are so many varieties of Agave, and this one, with the yellow bands along the edges, is particularly interesting. The heat of the day makes the color shimmer and sizzle, and this is one of a series I am doing exploring my feelings about this hardy plant in the harsh desert environment.

Blooming desert. . .

Oil on Canvas

(c)2010 NL Matus

Spring has been quite wonderful here. . . . . and summer on the way now. This is the time of year I love to get out and paint plein aire, before the really hot temps of summer make that unpleasant. Here's an oil on canvas that I painted on a trip to Sahuaro National Monument just outside of Tucson, AZ. I can hear the ciccadas chirping and buzzing as I look at this even now. . . . . .