Mixed Media Paintings by Mary Ellen Palmeri…artwork using her original specialty “Paper Dreams”, where she combines cut or folded paper with drawing and painting techniques. Her Southwest images include flora and fauna typical to the Sonoran desert area of Tucson, AZ, including saguaro and prickly pear cactus, coyotes, roadrunners, rabbits, and owls.

Originally these mountains were to be in the distance with large western figures in the foreground. As I got absorbed into the creative process the ‘background' mountains and desert became the major focus of the piece, and the figures eventually became small riders on horseback traveling through the vast expanse that had become the painting.

The dancing figure is Yukio, which means "Happy Hero". He is returning in celebration after meditating and visiting the sacred relics and writings held in the religious Buddhist shrine, known as a pagoda, which symbolizes the heights of

This Sonoran Desert painting was inspired one morning by discovering early blooms on a prickly-pear cactus in my desert backyard near Tucson, Arizona.

This beautiful state park in Tucson, Arizona, is a natural home to more than 5500 acres of Sonoran Desert flora and fauna.

The various rich orange and red earth colors of the Sonoran Desert, and the intense layering of light reflections climbing up the mountains create a colorful background for this southwest cowgirl and her playful pony (which is folded from metallic paper).

This American cowgirl is posing with her canine companion near a saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert. The eagle and most of the figures were made using origami folding techniques, with some details from cut papers. The image is on watercolor paper painted with acrylic inks.

This campfire scene was inspired by a visit to a ranch outside of Phoenix, Arizona. It was my first experience watching an expert roper taking a break in the corral. After showing us several fancy maneuvers with his rope, he built a fire to make camp coffee for everyone!

Cowgirl sunset reflects the diverse and intense colors reflecting across the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona. I began this piece by painting select papers to cut or tear for the mountains and desert. Some of my hand-painted papers were also used for the origami cacti (the Saguaro and Prickly-Pear are origami designs developed by John Montroll). The cowgirl is a combination of my own original origami plus cut papers.

I grew up in the American Northeast, so desert life was full of new discoveries when I moved to Southern Arizona. I enjoy depicting scenes from my early impressions and experiences in the American Southwest. The roadrunner is the most famous bird in the Sonoran Desert, and is a delight to watch as it runs across your path!

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