The Desert Orphan Print

I live in Peoria, Arizona in a desert canyon. The mostly dry Auga Fria (cold water) River runs through this canyon. I say mostly dry because a trickle of water still runs here. Most of the river's water is behind an earthen dame that forms Lake Pleasant, one of the larger man-made lakes in Arizona. The people who live here enjoy an abundance of desert flora and wildlife. The canyons, hills, and deserts are home to bobcat, javelina, mule deer, great horned owls, red-tailed hawk, vultures, rattlesnake, and of course wild desert burro, the inspiration for this painting. The wild burros that roam here are the progeny of domesticated pack animals used by gold and silver prospectors who worked over 100 years ago. The prospectors set their animals free to fend for themselves when mining was no longer profitable. The burro in this painting is one of their descendants. It is estimated by the BLM that the Lake Pleasant heard is between 500 and 600 animals. The state population is estimated at around 5500 animals. I tried to show the diversity of life here in the desert with the burro being the prominent feature and the different plant life around it, the saguaro cactus, organ pipe cactus, hedgehog cactus, red yucca, the ocotillo cactus, the palo verde tree, the mesquite tree, and the ironwood tree. All of these plants in spring dress the desert with their beautiful flowers. If you have never been to the Arizona desert put it on your bucket list. It's a very unique place to visit.