April 26, 2010
One of the benefits of living on the high Sonoran Desert is looking out the front window and seeing some pretty spectacular clouds. For example, this is right out my kitchen window (although I did run out and shoot it from the driveway):



That's Ratcliff Ridge in the foreground, studded with a high stand of saguaros. Meanwhile, the desert itself is blooming all over the place. When I shot this cloud scene I merely turned to the left and got this shot of our wild little succulents blooming a bright red:



Inspired I went right into the studio, looked through my discard pile, found a reject and tweaked it here and overpainted there, and ended up with this:



This is a scene I have planned for Mickey Free and his ride into Mexico where he discovers sporadic fires burning languidly across the plains, and as the clouds of smoke climb into the sky they mingle with the atmospheric clouds until one can't tell the difference.


"I see clouds in dead people's eyes."
—The Sixth Sense Kid on acid