"I Am the Desert, it’s Thirst, and it’s Refreshment [Summer 5]" Limited Edition, Giclee Canvas Print

Print Quality Details

These museum-quality giclée canvas and premium paper prints are crafted with premium, ethically sourced materials and archival, acid-free inks to ensure lasting beauty. From durable poplar wood stretcher bars to precision Epson printing, every piece reflects exceptional craftsmanship, delivering a timeless, elegant artwork made to the highest professional standards.

These are outstanding giclées or archival pigment prints where each one is hand proofed and signed by me.  Giclée printing is a fine art digital printing method using specialist archival pigment inks and acid-free papers; creating museum/gallery prints with excellent depth of colour, longevity and stability.

Studies have shown that Giclee Prints colour vividness can last in excess of 200 years with tests by independent bodies such as Wilhelm Research and printer manufacturers such as Epson. This gives assurance to collectors and art buyers of this type of printing method.

Canvas: We use Urth canvas, the world’s first solvent canvas with archival certification by the Fine Art Trade Guild. Manufactured by the leading canvas supplier of award-winning digital inkjet canvas, Breathing Color® uses breakthrough technology of agent-free Fluorescent Whitening and Chromata white to create a canvas free of optical brighteners while still producing canvas prints with bright whites and true vivid colors that will not fade or yellow over time. With OBA-free Urth canvas, your print can hang in direct sunlight and remain fade-resistant and as beautiful as the day it was printed. The canvas has a built-in coating, which makes it moisture and abrasion-resistant, with UV protection. The canvas is durable enough to withstand cleaning by taking a damp cloth to the surface to remove dust.

Inks: We use UltraChrome GS3 HD inks, which have a wide & rich color gamut range. The inks are sprayed upon canvas, hence the “giclee application,” with extreme detail and vibrancy, thus creating a stunningly sharp image. Tested by Wilhelm Research, these lightfast, archival inks are designed to last 100+ years.

Wood: The wood used to create the stretcher bars for your print is made from poplar trees, which are extremely strong and stable.

Printing Equipment: Printers include the Epson Surecolor S80600 and the 9900 Pro Series, which are state-of-the-art in the industry and print at astounding resolutions of 1440 ppi.

Artwork Description and Symbolism

“I Am the Desert, it’s Thirst, and it’s Refreshment” is a close-up encounter with the Sonoran truth: life is both edge and grace, both longing and relief—and awakening often begins when we stop demanding that reality be only comfortable. In the broader context of The Desert Abstraction Project, the desert is not simply a setting; it is a spiritual mirror. It teaches resilience, discernment, and the kind of honest self-inquiry that turns suffering into wisdom. This piece invites you to look closely at the paradox we all live inside: the ache that drives us forward and the renewal that arrives when we finally choose what truly nourishes us.

Visually, the artwork pulls you into an intimate, almost confrontational field of thorns radiating outward in all directions. Bright yellow-green light seems to glow from within the scene, while deep shadows carve dramatic negative space, heightening the sense of intensity and immediacy. The thorns intersect and overlap into a tangled, living web—chaotic at first glance, but undeniably patterned—set against a soft-focus background that makes the foreground feel sharp enough to touch. The effect is both beautiful and unsettling, echoing the desert’s lived reality: protection and vulnerability coexist, and the things that keep us safe can also keep us guarded.

The title reveals the deeper teaching. “Thirst” is more than physical dryness; it is desire, restlessness, and the human hunger for meaning, love, and connection. “Refreshment” is what arrives when that hunger becomes conscious—when you stop reaching for what only numbs and start choosing what genuinely restores. In the language of this project, fear is the illusion of separation, and love is the essence of God; the desert’s sharpness becomes a kind of discernment that steers you away from false comforts and back toward what is real. If you’re drawn to art that energizes a space while also sharpening your inner clarity—art that functions like a daily trailhead signpost for your own spiritual path—this piece belongs in your home or workspace. Bring it into your space now, and let it remind you that thirst is not a flaw; it is a compass, and refreshment is a choice.

Accompanying Inspirational Exercise — “Thirst & Refreshment Check-In” (3 minutes, daily or as-needed)
Stand before the artwork and pick one thorn that feels most prominent. Let it represent a “thirst” you’ve been acting from lately (approval, certainty, distraction, control, overwork). Ask: “What am I really longing for beneath this?” (rest, love, safety, purpose, belonging). Then choose one “refreshment” action you can take within 24 hours that meets the deeper need cleanly: hydrate and step outside, turn your phone off for 30 minutes, ask for support, make one honest boundary, or return to one meaningful task with full attention. Close by saying once: “My thirst is information. I choose what truly restores me.” Practiced regularly, this turns the artwork into a practical spiritual tool—helping you convert impulse into insight, and longing into renewal.