“Flowering Beavertail Cactus” (18×24)

It is not very common to associate cactus with beautiful flowers but if you time it just right that is exactly what happens. This cactus was blooming and I was curious to see what would happen if I loosely tried to portray this event as watercolor. The strong light illuminated the flowers directly but “back-lit” the pads themselves. Expressing the pads dimensionality was a challenge. Some of the immature buds are in shadow so their color is more subdued. The vivid hues of the blossoming flowers along with the more sedate greens of the pads seem to work together. All these elements set against a intense blue sky complete the picture.

Robin Vander Hamm

I specialize in watercolors that are inspired by my world travels. My subject matter ranges from South American landscapes to the flora of California. The use of bright colors, original designs and exotic settings are components I bring to my paintings. The incredible range of transparent watercolor allows me to capture the fragile beauty of a single flower or the somber mood of a gray day. For me, an artist is only limited by their imagination and technical skill. The elements of control and spontaneity make it a challenging endeavor. The thought of ever mastering the medium becomes more and more elusive and perhaps a goal never to be fully achieved.

I find the process of creating watercolors very satisfying and it also provides many side benefits…the greatest of these is the ability to see beauty everywhere.

So please wander through these images. There is some text beneath each. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did creating them.