So much of the desert is see-through trees and shrubs, that it’s a challenge to paint.  Here, I put away the artist brushes and for much of the painting used a little 69 cent brush from a hardware store.  Long, soft bristles that make it a little easier to capture the scrubby stuff on the desert floor, and the Palo Verde and Mesquite trees.

This is from the Bear Canyon Trailhead, looking north to the Catalina Mountains.  Mid-day sun, and probably would have been better earlier or later in the day, when the shadows get longer.