Finding Paths in the Desert (Weekly Challenge #185)

This week, we’re heading into the sun-soaked terrain of the Arizona Trail – a striking stretch of Southwestern landscape that winds through cactuses, wildflowers, and winding desert paths. These photos come from our co-host Ida @walkingnewzealand, who has shared glimpses of her hike through this dramatic and open terrain.

Unlike lush or urban scenes we’ve worked with before, this week's challenge offers a fresh compositional playground: bare land, low vegetation, striking plant forms, and winding trails. In such wide and open views, paths and visual flow become essential tools to make the viewer feel invited into the landscape.

Focus Point: Leading Lines

We’ve explored diagonals and dynamic compositions in the past, but this week we look at a related but distinct compositional tool: leading lines.

Leading lines are powerful elements that guide the viewer’s gaze through your painting. In landscapes, they’re often found in roads, rivers, fences, rows of vegetation, or even the direction of light or shadows. The Arizona Trail references make this concept very tangible — the winding desert paths literally pull us forward visually.

These lines do more than just direct attention — they create depth, narrative, and a journey within the image. And because the surroundings here are relatively minimal, the effect is even more noticeable.

Want to dig deeper into this topic? A new blog post on leading lines in landscape painting just went live!

Photo Reference Analysis

As usual, let us go through every photo reference of this week and see, what can be challenging and how to approach this challenge.

Photo 1: Golden Trail Through the Cactuses

A yellow wildflower-lined path cutting through towering cactuses under the midday sun.

Week 185: Arizona Trail, USA. Photo Credit: @walkingnewzealand

Challenge: The path draws you in but beware of symmetrical placement — the viewer’s eye may stall if there’s no compositional variation.

Focus Questions:

• Where do you want the viewer's eye to land first?

• How can you make the trail visually “move” through the picture?

• Will the bright flowers overpower the path?

  
  

Painting Tips:

• Use leading lines to introduce a journey.

• Apply value contrast to make the path stand out.

• Soften or break lines to avoid rigidity.

• Use saturation shifts to build depth in the foliage.

Photo 2: Climbing the Slope

A narrow path curves uphill, flanked by brush and cactus, opening to mountains in the distance.

Week 185: Arizona Trail, USA. Photo Credit: @walkingnewzealand

Challenge: The strong diagonal of the path needs balance or framing to avoid slicing the image too abruptly.

Focus Questions:

• Can you use the slope to create dynamic tension?

• How does the line of the path lead to your focal point?

• Are the background mountains helping or distracting?

Painting Tips:

• Combine diagonals and leading lines for energy.

• Use edges (soft vs. hard) to control attention.

• Overlap elements to create spatial hierarchy.

• Don’t forget aerial perspective in the background.

Photo 3: Hiker in the Giant's Garden

A solitary hiker approaches monumental cactuses, the trail beneath their feet a direct lead-in.

Week 185: Arizona Trail, USA. Photo Credit: @walkingnewzealand

Challenge: The figure and cactus can become too dominant. How do you keep the landscape relevant?

Focus Questions:

• Is the figure the focal point or part of the story?

• How do vertical cactus lines contrast the trail?

• Can the viewer feel the scale?

Painting Tips:

• Play with figure vs. environment proportions.

• Use the path as a narrative anchor.

• Echo vertical shapes to unify composition.

• Explore cast shadows as subtle guiding lines.

Photo 4: Riders on the Ridge

Two horseback riders move forward on a trail stretching through desert flora and cactus.

Week 185: Arizona Trail, USA. Photo Credit: @walkingnewzealand

Challenge: The scene is busy — without careful focus, it may feel cluttered.

Focus Questions:

• How can you use the trail to unify the image?

• Are the figures connected to the path?

• Can value or shape grouping help organize elements?

Painting Tips:

• Use leading lines to “tie together” scattered elements.

• Tone down competing textures.

• Push shadows to define form.

• Repeat shapes to reinforce movement.

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Whether it’s a road, river, or worn footpath, leading lines offer you a chance to tell a visual story. In this week’s Arizona Trail scenes, embrace that natural movement and let the viewer travel with you.

Share your interpretation on Instagram using #landscapeartclub185 by 30 October 2025, 23:59 CET. Don’t forget to tag @landscapeartclub and your co-host @walkingnewzealand.

Let the paths in your painting lead the way!