Darcie Peet

Feast or famine… dry most of the year, a winter rain or summer monsoon can suddenly transform a desert wash into a rushing stream or here, a quiet pattern of rivulets and streamlets meandering and criss-crossing the broad wash. At sundown the storm clouds reflect a host of colors across the water almost like an abstract painting. Soon to recede and dry, all sorts of new, distinct, sand channels will be formed. Vital to the creatures and plants of the desert, they are also full of creative surprises and painting inspiration. For Sale. $3900. Available through ArtzLine, America’s Online Gallery, 800-958-5360, www.artzline.com/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com

Grays and Torreys Peaks, two of Colorado’s most popular “fourteeners,” rise across Lake Dillon in the soft, pastel colors of early morning. Summer wildflowers are at their peak in July as the shoreline is strewn with a myriad of colorful blooms, especially magenta Fireweed and the fuzzy, round blooms of tall thistle. For sale. $5200. Available at The Broadmoor Galleries, 1 Lake Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80906. 719-577-5744, www.broadmoorgalleries.com/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com

Between Ridgway and Telluride, Colorado, Mt. Sneffels along the “Dallas Divide” is heavily dusted with September snow while autumn-gold aspen still accent lower foothills. A turbulent, dusk sky picking up end-of-the-day color foretells of another approaching storm. For sale. $5200. Available at The Broadmoor Galleries, 1 Lake Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80906. 719-577-5744, www.broadmoorgalleries.com/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com

On a cold, snowy, December day, along with our Navajo guide, we drove as far as possible into Canyon Del Muerto, in the Canyon De Chelly National Monument. These are the ruins that eerily looked out over the valley reminding us of the storied history of these unusual, red-rock canyons. For Sale. $7000. Available at Settlers West Gallery, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

An early glimpse of Paradise Valley approached from the south and Gardiner, Montana, at the edge of Yellowstone. On a crystal, azure morning, the key peaks of Paradise Valley, MT, start to emerge above foothill plateaus, beckoning one to see what’s around the next curve. Autumn’s low sun casts long, bold, defining shadows setting off the rooftops of a scatter of distant ranch buildings while graceful, waving grasses of fields and pastures glow gold in September’s morning light. High-reaching clouds hint at a coming change in weather, and sure enough snow moves in by the next day. For sale. $6500. Available at A. Banks Gallery, 131 E. Main St., Missoula, MT 59802, 406-728-9348, www.abanksgallery.com/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com