Darcie Peet

The dawn sky warms in creamy yellow and lavender as the rising sun touches the tips and ridges of Safford Peak in the Tucson Mountains. Still in quiet shadow is Golden Gate Road that winds through Saguaro National Monument West outside of Tucson. For Sale $1700. Available at Settlers West Gallery, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

September brings all sorts of fall colors along the Bow River as it meanders beside the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies. Every now and then on the higher banks, there are bold patches of Fireweed wildflowers whose tall spikes of summer, magenta blooms are now going to seed. Even as their distinct, summer color is coming to an end, Fireweed is equally as dramatic in the fall as the once richly-colored, magenta blossoms turn to light pink and white, soft, “fairy duster” wisps that slowly waft away in the autumn breezes. For Sale. $1900. Available at Settlers West Gallery, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

What a day to be hiking… Crystal blue sky with just a smattering of windswept, high clouds on an autumn day rich in color all around. Sunshine Meadows outside of Banff in Banff National Park, Canadian Rockies, is described as a “wonderland for hiking with its lush cover of vegetation, and over 300 species of wildflowers have been recorded.” Groundcovers and grasses display a vivid range of fall hues from golds to siennas and red-oranges. Feathery, delicate fronds of Tamarack turned autumn gold contrast against darker evergreen and the deep, aqua blues of several alpine lakes along the loop trails which we explored For Sale. $5300. Available through David Wilkinson, ArtzLine, America’s Online Gallery, 800-958-5360, www.artzline.com/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com

Cycling home at the end of a painting day, I am traveling west toward the Tucson Mountains, and up ahead I can see a dramatic, cloud-filled, sundown sky after a desert winter storm. From past experience, I know that we often have striking sunsets in both directions, as the setting sun sets off color across the Catalina Mountains behind me in the east. For some reason, I thought on this trip home, perhaps I had better stop and turn around…. Which I did, and this was the surprise behind me. For Sale. $5500. Available at Settlers West Gallery, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

Over New Years, snow had blanketed Monument Valley creating stunning lavender and blue snow shadows set against brilliant, warm white snow in sunshine, all contrasted against the dramatic, red rock cliff monuments. The soft blanket of snow created an eerie silence across the valley while drifting clouds slowly lifting from a nighttime storm seemed to whisper of the history and legend that fills the valley. For Sale. $4400. Available at Settlers West Gallery, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com