Saguaro Lake (2025) is both realistic and slightly abstracted simultaneously as it uses a slightly geometrically abstract stylisation. Snyder is personally connected to the Sonoran Desert, which gives a much more personal perspective on this scene. The angular way that the background and the horses are painted gives a pristine feel to the painting. The horses are not entirely realistic, which also allows the viewer to imagine more clearly what they would see if they were there, giving personalisation to the viewer as well.
The horses are also contrasted against the background as they are a warmer colour counterbalancing the cooler, more blue colours of the water and the sky. However, this contrast doesn’t create jarring but rather gives the piece a much more peaceful and meditative feeling as they work together. The vegetation of the mountains also grounds the viewing from the audience towards the horses, and the geometric forms point us downwards.
Lone Saguaro (2024) is an impressively vibrant composition of the landscape of the desert, along with the Saguaro cactus that stands on its own in a bright blueish colour contrasting against the landscape. The lone cactus catches our eye as it pokes out of the landscape. It is also solid, unlike the more impressionistic desert flora surrounding it. Further out into the background are hills and warm skies, which give the work a peaceful atmosphere.
Though not surrounded by other cacti, the cactus does not seem lonely as it is present in the thriving desert flora surrounding it. The work’s colours suggest that the flora are blooming and the desert is at its most beautiful period, and the impressionistic style seems to give the work an explosion of colours. Thus, it invites the viewer to put themselves into the work and explore the landscape rather than just observe.
Road to Monument Valley (2024) is a painting which brings the viewer to view awe of the vastness of the desert landscape as it makes us feel small due to the distance between the towering rock formations and the seemingly endless road. The road structures the painting as it is centred on us, the viewer and guides us towards the rock formations. Above the landscape and the road is a dramatic sky, and it appears to have a storm coming, adding great tension to the work.
Within the landscape itself, patches of vegetation seem to disappear the further outwards the landscape goes, which implies the ruggedness of the arid landscape. The strong orange colours of the landscape, along with the more course textures applied to it, also give weight to the ruggedness.