Tucson Tropical Garden
This mural started with a wish to have a bit more of the tropics in the desert. The Sonoran Desert that Tucson is found within is remarkably lush. The bimodal rainfall patterns and lack of frost makes this desert a distinctly subtropical ecosystem. The desert boasts a wide variety of succulent cactus and leguminous trees. Even still, the climate is harsh and planting tropical species such as palm trees can be difficult requiring a lot of additional water and care.
Palm trees offer something uniquely peaceful and happy. Their image strikes memories of trips to the beach and poolside bliss. I wanted this mural to create a tranquil green backdrop to this pool that you could truly get lost in.
The Sago palms (Cycas revoluta) were the centerpiece of the painting as they were of particular importance to the client. They are actually a Cycad rather than a palm and are native to southern Japan. I tried to capture the distinct dark green glossy leaves and full 3-dimensionality of the leaf rosette.
In between the Sago palms, I painted three other types of palms. A California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) is painted between the two tilting Sagos. This species is the only palm native to the desert southwest. The other fan palm is a Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis), a smaller variety of fan palm that normally grows as a multi-trunk bush. The palm on the left side of the mural with long feathery fronds is a Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis).
Along the entire ground I painted a full garden of flowering plants. The pale pink low-lying flowers are modeled after Fairy Dusters (Calliandra eriophylla) native to the Southwestern US and Mexico. These plants have puffball flowers ranging from pink to white. The yellow flower bushes are Arizona Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans) a native to the Sonoran Desert and very common in Tucson landscapes. The blue-green bushes with tall red, orange, and yellow flowers are modeled after the Red Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) native to the tropics of the Americas. I also painted aloe flowers and Lantana. The detailed red flowers with tall grass-like leaves are Aztec Lily (Zephyranthes formosissima) a species endemic to Mexico. The pink and yellow flower bushes on the wrap-around corners are Plumeria (Plumeria rubra), native to Mexico annd Central America. And the spherical pink flowers with larger leaves are Garden dahlias. These Dahlia genus is another native to the high-altitude regions of Mexico and Central America. I love to capture the different patterns within plants. Their flower structures and their leaf shapes all vary so much.
I love and appreciate plants. Painting this entire tropical garden was so fun and I think it truly adds so much to the pool. If you are interested in a similar mural, I am always eager to discuss what you are interested in!
