Cactus Monday - Sonoran Desert Art

Today for Cactus Monday, I'd like to share some of the artwork at Sabino Canyon. Dozens of handpainted mosaic-styled tiles grace the ramadas at the entrance of the canyon. They are whimsically decorated with all sorts of Sonoran Desert cacti and critters that can be found in the recreation area, as well as the names of Sabino Canyon donors.
Here is a random sampling of the ceramic tiles. Perhaps it might be fun someday to make a freehand cut paper collage with playful shapes and colors like these. They sort of remind me of paper cutouts by Henri Matisse. Click picture to enlarge.
When I was taking pictures on Saturday morning, a cactus wren was making noise just outside the ramada. There has been a lot of cactus wren activity lately around the nests in the cholla cactus by the visitor center.
The staghorn cacti with reddish flowers were blooming here and there.
A little pincushion cactus was blooming under a bush, next to the entrance to some animal's burrow.
Here's a Gila monster sketch from my youngest son, Brian's, sketchbook. He's a first year architecture student at the UofA and likes to draw and paint in his spare time.
For more Cactus Monday posts, visit Teri's Painted Daisies.