In this vertical landscape, I contrast a vast field of saguaro cactus with the sharply defined crest of a rocky outcropping soaring above them at sunset. The saguaros are defined by the day’s last light, as it illuminates them from the lowest possible angle. The saguaros create a field of prickly texture that fills the lower third of the frame. Golden red rocks provide a transitional texture in the middle third of the frame. The diagonal thrust of the comb-like outcropping at the top of the frame reveals deeply carved texture, repeating the verticality of the saguaro as well as duplicating the colors of the rough boulders that litter the middle ground. The illuminated fortress-like wall of stone also provides an incongruous contrast in scale to the tiny saguaro arrayed below it.