Darcie Peet

Eerie, silent and lonely without a soul around is Monument Valley in the dead of winter, but our journey toward the Three Sisters formation is livened with stories of history and legend from our Navajo guide. As we approach this iconic grouping one can easily imagine the three figures draped in blankets and huddled over in the cold for warmth. Despite the environment and mood of icy chill, the low sun of winter creating lavender, azure blue shadows and sparkling sunlit-whites creates an uplifting lively and bold richness contrasting with the red rock cliffs just waiting to be painted. For Sale. $1700. Available at Settlers West Gallery, Great American West Show, Nov 22, 2025, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

Muted skies and the distant “Ragged Top” Mountains northwest of Tucson set a soft, pastel backdrop for pink, fluffy, spring Fairy Duster and other desert shrubs set ablaze with the backlighting of late afternoon. Silhouettes of tall saguaro and occasional prickly pear yet to bloom scattered amongst the wispy, palo verde trees round out a typical desert spring setting. For Sale. $1500. Available at Settlers West Gallery, Great American West Show, Nov 22, 2025, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

Exploring the back country roads outside of Catalina north of Tucson and at the base of the Catalina Mountains is perfect for wildflower watching in the spring. Across a saguaro-dotted hillside, the vivid orange spikes of one of spring’s longest blooming, desert wildflowers, Globe Mallow, edge a slope strewn with showy, golden poppies. Both are set off by the distinct, bristly spheres of deep, indigo-purple thistles whose long, slender stems sway in the desert breeze. For sale. $2900. Available at K Newby Gallery & Sculpture Garden, 15 Tubac Rd., Tubac, AZ 85646-4217, 520-398-9662, Toll free: 888-398-9662, www.newbygallery.com/artist/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com

There’s nothing quite like Monument Valley in the winter. After deciding at the spur of the moment to make the journey there, we luckily got the very last room over New Years. What a unique and spiritual experience we had with a private Navajo guide telling us all sorts of stories, traditions and legends as he patiently drove us through the valley, stopping so very often to let us get out and photograph and sense our almost alien surroundings. The valley is eerily quiet at dawn as the snow absorbs what little sound might be around. Azure blue and lavender shadows contrast against the red rock, winter shrubs and the emerging, dazzling light of dawn creeping in… a visual potpourri while the air couldn’t be more crisp and frosty. It’s a place where all one’s senses are alive! The painting depicts the Yei Bi Chei monuments, or “Navajo spiritual gods” and viewed as a formation of dancers emerging from a hogan. There is a Yei Bi Chei dance that is performed for healing purposes in a 9-day ritual called the Night Way Ceremony. This was an unforgettable mood that had to be captured on canvas! For Sale. $6200. Available at Settlers West Gallery, Great American West Show, Nov 22, 2025, 6420 N. Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-299-2607 www.settlerswest.com www.darciepeet.com

A late afternoon and sundown hike in Saguaro National Monument West ended with this huge sphere of an eye-squinting and startling sun setting behind the Tucson Mountains. Its dramatic radiance set off all the shapes of the desert, especially the forest of saguaros but also scattered prickly pear and blooming brittle bush. For sale. $3900. Available at K Newby Gallery & Sculpture Garden, 15 Tubac Rd., Tubac, AZ 85646-4217, 520-398-9662, Toll free: 888-398-9662, www.newbygallery.com/artist/darcie-peet/ www.darciepeet.com