As a biologist, I have many friends among zoologists and botanists. One of them is a great cactus and succulent gardener in the Mojave Desert of NW Arizona. He grows some of the most spectacular Agaves from all over the Americas.
About this one Jan says:
This singularly colorful specimen of Agave guadalajarana is growing in a lovely private garden in Escondido, California. Fresh marginal teeth along the leaves are shades of yellow and orange as they emerge from the central conical bud, and age to darker red and eventually nearly black on the oldest leaves. Set against the glaucous waxy blue of the leaf cuticle, it presents a highly decorative effect.
Agaves have always been among my favorite painting subjects, even though I regularly struggle somewhat with their complexity. I was particularly attracted to the juicy complementary colors of the central core, playing against the much starker light and dark contrast of the older leaves in the periphery.
This painting is framed to the size of 22 in by 28 in and will be introduced at the Fountain Hills Arts and Craft Festival from November 14 to 16.
See you there!
