JURIED EXHIBITION FOR
BOTANICAL ART OF THE SONORAN DESERT:  PAST AND PRESENT



EXHIBIT ITEM 117

Ferocactus wislizeni
Arizona fishhook barrel cactus

© 2013 Joan McGann
Pen and Ink and Watercolor

This barrel-shaped cactus is native to the Sonoran Desert. The flowers range from yellow to orange to red, and are pollinated by cactus bees. Fruits are bright yellow, long lasting and are eaten by deer, javelina and birds. Its large center spines are hooked, giving rise to one common name, fishhook barrel cactus.

Artist's Biography
Joan McGann received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wichita State University. She received a Certificate of Excellence from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute, Nature Illustration Program. She works with her husband in their Tucson, Arizona landscape architectural firm. Current works in botanical illustration have an emphasis on plants native to the Sonoran Desert. The forms and textures of cacti and succulents continue to be the most fascinating plant specimens for her drawings. Joan works on paper with graphite pencil, colored pencil, watercolor, and pen and ink. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie-Mellon University and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.