The Sea Of Cortez-An Album Of Images

What a trip it was! The whole package…great scenery, interesting animals, terrific traveling companions who are also great artists and, in 2013, the exhibition at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to top it off.

I’ll be blogging about specific aspects of this experience and the art that I plan to create from it between now and showtime, but today I thought I’d share an overview of some of my favorite images, an album, if you will.

And, for this coming Mongolia Monday, I’ll compare and contrast Mongolia’s Gobi with the part of the Sonora Desert that I have now visited.

View from the condo I shared with four other artists.
Nacapuli Canyon
Someone took pictures of almost everything. Here's Carel Brest van Kempen photographing ants.
Predator water beetle; waterhole in Nacapuli Canyon
As yet unidentified lizard; Nacapuli Canyon
Estero Solado; an estuary ringed by three species of mangrove
Roseate spoonbills feeding in the estero
The turkey vulture who wouldn't abandon "his" fish
One of about six species of fiddler crabs living on the shores of the estero
Willets on the beach near the condo in nice morning light
Pelican feeding frenzy off-shore in San Carlos
The wonderful boat that we went out in
The boat made it possible for the plein air painters to get to great spots like this
Heerman's gull; almost at eye level from the boat's dingy
San Pedro Island; we spent a day birdwatching and snorkeling along its three mile length
Brown pelicans
Brandt's cormorants
Sally Lightfoot crab
Blue-footed booby colony; the white is guano
Blue-footed booby; an artist favorite
California sea lions
Male California sea lion
Female magnificent frigatebird
The Sea of Cortez
Group shot- photo by Molly Moore- Field Trip to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, March 19 - 26, 2011. Pictured are Linda Bittner, Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen, DeVere Burt, Andrew Denman, Kim Diment, Kim Duffek, Cathy Ferrell, Susan Fisher, Susan Fox, Mary Garrish, Ann Geise, Shawn Gould, Mary Helsaple, Heiner Hertling, John Kobald, Deian Moore, John Pitcher, Don Rambadt, Paul Rhymer, Rebecca Richman, Carolyn Thome, Christine Sarazin, Rachelle Siegrist, Wes Siegrist, Martha Thompson, Glenn Thompson, Sue Westin, Ronnie Williford, Debbe Wilson, and Nicholas Wilson. (Not pictured are John Agnew and Molly Moore). Leading the field trip was Richard C. Brusca, Ph.D. The trip was organized by David J. Wagner, Ph.D. for artists to produce a body of artwork for a museum exhibition entitled The Sea of Cortez, produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C., and scheduled to premiere at The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute from March 16 through June 2, 2013.