Pinaleno Mountains

Gordon Louis Mortensen

The Pinaleño Mountains are a remote range in southeastern Arizona. The mountains have over 7,000 feet of vertical relief but in his woodcut, Pinaleno Mountains, Mortensen focuses on the lush spring vegetation of a meadow. Opuntia, commonly called the prickly pear cactus, found at the center of the image clearly identifies this as a desert scene. The highly timbered, blue-green mountains are offset by a golden sky.