Crystal DiPietro

Sonoran Sentinels, Original Painting

2022

Artist Comments
While climbing mountains in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, artist Crystal DiPietro couldn't help but appreciate the tall saguaro cacti that populate the scene. "They stood out as wise, old sentinels guarding the landscape," says Crystal. With their large, tree-like structures, these defining plants of the Sonoran Desert add character and life to the verdant terrain. The slight glow around their edges softens their contours, creating a warm aura about them.

About the Artist
Many artists work with the landscape, but Crystal DiPietro sees her works as different from most in the genre. "I tend not to see landscapes as soft and pretty, but as rugged, dramatic and colorful." Many of her works depict wild storms and moody sunsets. She spends a lot of time in remote spots and uses layers of color to create her compositions. Her work hovers between a brief impression of a scene and a pure dream. Crystal's landscapes of southern Utah seem to undulate and continuously change. What's interesting, though, is that these mountains and valleys seem to do the same thing in person. In these areas, the view changes constantly throughout the day as the light shifts, throwing shadows of faces, mazes and alien patterns across the cliff faces. Crystal impressively captures what's there, and what seems to be but isn't.

Words that describe this painting: cactus, cacti, Sonoran, desert, mountains, saguaro, Arizona, southwest, west, western, plants, nature, landscape, America, sky, hill, mountain, mixed media, impressionism, nature, mixed media artwork, green

Sonoran Sentinels
Crystal DiPietro
Watercolor, brush pens, and pencil on stretched canvas
Finished white edges
Varnished and Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on back
2022
36 in. h x 42 in. w x 1.25 in. d
7 lbs. 0 oz.