Darcie Peet

A desert treasure to explore is Saguaro National Park West outside of Tucson, AZ. Golden Gate Road winds and meanders up and down, bisecting a huge corner of the park between Picture Rocks and Sandario Roads. Winter in the desert means lower sun, longer shadows and rich color creating bold, cloud formations especially when a storm rolls through. In “Painted in Storm Glow” one can almost hear the rumble from the ominous clouds while the welcome relief of light and warmth from the west filters in as the squall recedes across distinct Safford Peak and the Picacho Mountains disappearing in the distance. Recent rain has left rivulets of water spider-webbing and threading the dirt road and reflecting the brilliant sky. There’s nothing quite like the smell of the desert right after a rain! For sale. $ 3900. Available at Settlers West Gallery, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

On the edge of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum outside of Tucson, AZ, bright, morning backlight sets spring shrubs and flowers sparkling accented by a hint of blooming, orange-red Ocotillo. For sale $1700. Available at Settlers West Gallery, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

The morning, coastal fog and mist are finally thinning and lifting as the day warms, brightening the array of May wildflowers on the hillsides above the ocean. For sale. $4900. 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 4-day pack trip in the Northern Rockies, we first camped at an alpine lake right at the edge of timberline. Up at daybreak for a quiet, early morning hike, we soon had wet feet as we crisscrossed a myriad of clear, cold rivulets and cascades of water, spider-webbing everywhere from the snowfields above us. Late spring snow turned the near-timberline meadow to rich, verdant green studded with wildflowers, and especially fire-engine, scarlet-red paintbrush starting to catch the early morning sun. For sale $5300. Available at A. Banks Gallery, 127 E. Main St., Bozeman, MT 59715, 406-586-1000, Soon opening in Missoula, MT, www.abanksgallery.com/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com

Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier National Park. As an overnight storm begins to recede, dawn turns breaking clouds soft peach while setting Mt. Wilbur aglow. Early September snow threads across the peak as a chilly, morning breeze creates soft, rippling sounds along the shore. For sale. $1300. Available through David Wilkinson and ArtzLine, America’s Online Gallery, 800-958-5360, www.artzline.com/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com