Prickly Pear

6x8 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75 (email me if interested)

We have lots and lots of these in our yard. They begin blooming in June. The pads and the fruit of the cactus are edible. The fruit is ready after they blossom, in the late summer and early fall. Just be careful of the spines on both! The tiny ones on the fruit are really hard to remove. In a drought, ranchers have been known to burn off the spines so their cows could eat the cactus for the liquid inside. I made some note cards from this painting. I would like to paint a series of cacti paintings, especially one with the fruit because I like the contrast of the red fruit against the green pads.