Botanical artist Dyana Hesson will be presenting a new body of work this May at Altamira Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona. Known for her striking, large-scale oils, Hesson captures the unique, sometimes alien-feeling, flora of the Southwestern desert in her clean and minimalist style.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the magic of the foothills. The in-between places we travel through to get to the mountaintops,” says Hesson. “There is an essay I’ve been working on that connects my childhood upbringing in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to my time here in Arizona. I love a rise in the land, a scramble to the top, a view.”
Hidden Treasure − Mariposa Lilies, Weavers Needle, Superior, AZ, 2026, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in.
The upcoming show at Altamira, which runs from May 5 to 16, is titled Lessons from the Hilltops, a nod to the artist’s experiences in the Southwest. “Lessons from the Hilltops, for me, is about the journey, the getting there, the things you discover not only about the wild, but about yourself as you tramp along,” she elaborates. “There are areas I love to return to here in the Southwest, and I am enamored with what those places reveal from year to year.”
Among the new work in the exhibition is a bold portrait of bright orange lilies at Weaver’s Needle in the Superstition Mountains. Measuring 4 by 4 feet, the vivid flowers feel almost larger than life. In Only Here – Pipevine Swallowtail and Wallflower, a butterfly perches atop orange flowers, complemented by a blue backdrop.
On Rocky Slopes, Bigalow’s Bristehead and Mazatzal Mountains, oil, 24 x 18 in.
“It all starts with time outside,” Hesson says of her process. “Nothing happens in the studio without the initial inspiration from the fieldwork. Photography is a means to remember the moment, the moment becomes a sketch and notes from additional research, the sketch gets pinned to the wall, then sketched on canvas. After weeks of applying thin layers of oil paint, the masterwork reveals itself. Hopefully, in the end, it is my beginning. It’s during this process that themes emerge for me. The title and stories for each work develop after the piece is complete, and that really adds another layer of meaning for me.”
Land of Grass and Flowers, Bellflower, railroad grade White Mountains, oil, 40 x 30 in.
The artist continues, “Discovery fuels my work for sure. There will always be something new to discover and learn about. At this stage of my career, it’s definitely about quality rather than quantity. Every piece should be my best. That drive pushes me onward.”
For Hesson, and many others, there really is no place on Earth like the Southwest.
Only Here − Pipevine Swallowtail and Wallflower, Mt. Graham, AZ, 2026, oil on canvas, 60 x 30 in.
“The diversity here in Arizona from sea level to over 12,000 [feet] is rich in interesting geology, animal and plant life,” she says. “I crave wide-open spaces and endless vistas, morning birdsong, and sunset blankets of pink and purple skies. I breathe deeply under puffy and wispy clouds, I feel joy standing in unexpected rain busts and smile when coyotes sing at sunset. The desert Southwest makes me happy; I feel like I understand my creator a little better when I study it and paint it. The desert foothills and mountains are my soulscape. I want to spend the rest of my life exploring and painting and caring about nature, and hopefully that will connect me with my collectors, who feel the same.”
An opening reception for Lessons from the Hilltops will be held on Thursday, May 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. —
Altamira Fine Art 7038 E. Main Street » Scottsdale, AZ 85251 » (480) 949-1256 » www.altamiraart.com
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