52nd National with Awards Listed

VANESSA RUSCZYK OCOTILLO BUDS

Driving through the Southern California desert, you might see hundreds of tall clusters of spiny stems amidst an apparently barren, nearly monochromatic landscape. But when you pass through this same space after a good summer rain, all those tall stems come to life, flourishing with small green leaves. Then you visit again in the spring, after winter rains have renewed the land. The desert comes alive with wildflower blooms while the formerly lifeless spiny plant joins the celebration, sprouting long clusters of brilliant red trumpet-shaped flowers whose nectar fuels the journey of migrating hummingbirds. This painting celebrates the beautiful transition of this wild place.

20” x 16” — Oil $1,700

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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