I think this is the first post I want to make to tumblr because these photos are special to me.
I was on a gorgeous roadtrip through Arizona a few years ago appreciating the Sonoran desert, but I stopped in downtown Phoenix for a coffee, and ended up finding the most beautiful potted plant display I think I’ve ever seen, in a little quiet courtyard by some restaurants. This set really only shows half of the display, even, there was another setup right beside it equally as remarkable. I also enjoy painting, and the level of subtle detail here caught my eye. I took some of these photos as references to paint later.
I’m just captivated by the number of different textures and colors fit into these two planters. How so many unique plants could blend together into such an aesthetically pleasing display. I was out in the desert to marvel at the natural beauty, but I was struck just as hard by the human ingenuity of whoever put those pots together, and the people tending the plants and keeping them healthy. It made me happy for humanity.
I had the book “Walkable City” by Jeff Speck stuck in my brain, as I often do, and I wonder at what humans might achieve if we were more in touch with nature and less in touch with blind capitalism. I want to elaborate more on what that trip taught me, but I wanted to show these flowers first and foremost, because to me they represent hope and creativity and inspiration.