Mildred Ford started painting seriously after retiring in 1981. Self-taught, she was inspired to paint by photographs she saw in “ Arizona Highways” magazine of the intriguing Arizona landscape. No stranger to deserts, Mildred was raised in Mountainair , New Mexico . But her favorite subject matter is the Sonoran Desert of Arizona . She visits every spring “to get reacquainted with its beauty.” Using oils and a palette knife, Mildred's paintings of the desert in bloom capture the explosion of the color springtime offers desert visitors. The texture and color of her work invite the viewer to join Mildred in her exploration of this yearly phenomenon.