Postcard from Tucson

Last week, I wrote about the beginning of the baseball season, one of the two most important elements of Spring. Now, its time to pay homage to the most important benefit of this time of year…and that would be flowers in bloom.

Most of my life was spent up in the northern climates of the West Coast. Now I live in one of the most southerly parts of America, the Arizona desert. Obviously, we have a different set of plants and flowers down here…no less beautiful than those of the north…just very different.

This digital painting, created from an original photograph of mine, is of trumpet blossoms. In fact, I call it, “The Trumpet Section.” I apologize for not knowing the name of this lovely flower. You would think that being married to a horticultural expert for so many years, that some of it would have rubbed off on me. Not so.

I think some of my best works in digital paintings have come when I painted flowers. They are so beautiful and I think their beauty helps bring out the best in me. Not that this is one of my best works, but I think it turned out well. It was sure fun to do.

I remember when I did art shows a few years ago, a couple of painters told me that orange is one of those colors that does not sell. The reason is it doesn’t match the colors in most people’s homes. That is true. But since I stopped doing art shows, I don’t care what sells…I only care about creating beautiful works of art, no matter what the color. Now, I can photograph and paint whatever I want, as long as it meets my own high standards.

Being off the art show circuit has released new, creative juices that allow this kind of freedom. For me, it is all about beauty…something that is very rare in this current artistic climate. Some of the crap they call art today is a bit sickening, at least to my tastes. But, many folks in and out of the art world have high hopes that someday, beauty will make a comeback.

(To see a larger version of this painting, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com

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