Client: Commissioned by West Valley Arts Council in partnership with Fry’s Food Stores, a division of Kroger Corporation. 19600 W. Indian School Rd. in Buckeye, AZ, 85396, 2021.

Overview

For this mural, I would like to highlight the White Tank Mountains, saguaros, and white-winged doves. By depicting the saguaro and doves, I am focusing on two elements within the White Tank Mountains that combine to create a yearly phenomenon in the desert. Every spring, the white-winged doves arrive in the Sonoran Desert to nest and later feast on the fruit, seeds, and nectar of the saguaro cacti. The doves adjust their migration and nesting patterns specifically to arrive in time to enjoy the bright red fruit that sits on top of the saguaros in early summer. Then, as if it were engineered by the desert herself, the saguaro seeds from the digested fruit are scattered into the landscape by the doves, helping the cacti propagate across the landscape. I find this tableau appealing as an artist because it allows for a very beautiful and unexpected color combination within a dynamic natural event.
Mural 8×24′, acrylic on panel.

Goals

By bringing this natural phenomenon out of the sky and down to ground level, I hope to not only remind community members of the symbiotic forces that create our desert home, but also elevate them into the world hidden atop the saguaros so they might appreciate its beauty and mystery