Prickly Pear Cactus are fascinating to me; they grow in large clumps on virtually no water and still manage to bloom with a merry sweetness. Bees are drawn in droves to their abundance
and they produce a fruit that must be harvested carefully. The spines teach us to be respectful, but the flowers and fruit teach us to enjoy the desert for its beauty. I wanted to celebrate this hardy desert dweller with stones - Onyx and Alabaster - that reflect light with the luminous quality of translucent petals and cactus pads. I used limestone to bring the movement seen after a summer storm when sand has swirled in drifting patterns around the plants, leading the eye around the patch to see the rhythm of the wind.