52nd National with Awards Listed

VANESSA RUSCZYK DESERT CHICORY WITH COMMON PHACELIA

After abundant rainfall throughout the winter, the Anza Borrego Desert experiences a superbloom of wildflowers in the spring. Flowers are so abundant that they grow in masses of different species, as if spread by hand from a giant seed packet. This painting showcases two more common and oft-overlooked species growing together harmoniously. Desert chicory is a simple white flower, the most spectacular part being the undersides of its petals. Common phacelia is named for its scorpion-like curl pattern of tiny violet flowers. Taken together, the flowers in this painting take up no more than two inches of space. The distraction of thousands of other flowers have been removed to highlight these two beautiful species in this larger-than-life portrait.

16” x 12” — Oil $1,200

VANESSA RUSCZYK • WAOW Associate • CA • www.studiosoledad.com Vanessa Rusczyk’s award-winning paintings of native flora and Western landscapes give viewers a close look at plant structure and natural design, immersing them in that small world on a human scale. Her paintings are inspired by hikes around her San Diego home and trips to the desert regions of the American Southwest. She is a signature member of American Women Artists and a member of Women Artists of the West.

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