This Permian Basin playa lake seeps up every golden wave of light from the setting sun. Sumac, blindingly yellow in the late afternoon light of early October, shelters this precious waterhole, and red grass sprouts from the shallows, anchoring this unexpectedly lush urban ecosystem. This could be anywhere water offers life, but it's the I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study Center in Midland, Texas, the last place you'd expect to see this tranquillity.

This watercolor is on a museum grade board and sealed under several coats of archival varnish. It does NOT need to be displayed under glass-- the varnish protects it.