iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I swear I'm still alive and painting over here.

An oil painting of agave flowers in bright yellows and greens sitting on an easel.

Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

My latest painting, Dry Land Drinking. Scenes of northern Arizona at the end of a dusty day of trail work from back in the day 🌧️ #TraditionalArt #Oiloncanvas #New #BlueskyArtShow

An oil painting of storm clouds rolling in above a dry landscape scattered with small shrubs.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Three new paintings off to the gallery today!

Three framed oil paintings stacked in front of a rosemary bush. One depicts a pink and purple sunset over a desert stream, one an agave, and one a white flower on a green background.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Spent the morning wandering around in a light rain, photographing the Tucson desert

A close-up of a feathery-textured plant in muted greens

A close-up of some green lichen (I think?) on a rock

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

The Pueblos Mágicos certainly live up to their name. Photos from San Miguel de Allende.

A photo of columnar cacti with a cluster of aloes with pink flowers at the base on a white background.

A photo of a rustic, light blue door set in a red and yellow wall. The wall is covered with the foliage from a vine.

A photo of a narrow, steep alleyway/foot path receding down from the viewer. A large bougainvillea shades the path.

A photo with a row of white condos in the lower left corner. The sky is large in the photo, with a light covering of clouds.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Still new enough to framing that it has a bit of rustic flair to it, but this is one of the first times I've put frames on my work and I'm so so pleased with how it elevates the pieces.

A wood burning of a cluster of berries and leaves on a wood panel, colored using watercolor.

An angled shot of a wood burning of a cluster of berries and leaves on a wood panel, colored using watercolor. There's a rosemary bush in the background.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Companion piece to yesterday's post, inviting you to look a little closer at the way the dappled light plays across the plants and water. Oil on canvas, 16"x12" #traditionalart #botanicalart #nature

A painting of a close-up of the edge of a stream, where small aquatic plants and water are dappled with sunlight. The end of a reed trails into the stream, and leaves reflect dark shadows in the still water.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Take a minute to sit and trail your fingers through the cool water. Oil on canvas, 16"x12" #BlueskyArtShow #Relax #Art #OilOnCanvas

An oil painting of dappled light on leaves and aquatic plants along a stream. Cool greens and purples contrast with bright yellow where the sun filters through the brightest.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

I love where I live, the desert Southwest and its plants are so special. Agaves Study Oil on canvas, 24"x12" #BlueskyArtShow #Home #BotanicalArt #TraditionalArt #Tucson

An oil painting of a cluster of blue agaves against an orange background.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

My partner gave me their old DSLR recently and I'm SO stoked to start experimenting with it. Sometime down the road you might see one of two of these in painting form...

A photo of dimly lit blackberry leaves trailing into a stream. Dappled sunlight makes its way through trees out of the frame to highlight them and some of the plants floating on the stream.

A close-up photo of two yellow fruits (some sort of stone fruit I think) with green leaves in the background.

$A photo through a shallow stream of brightly colored rocks with light refracting through the water onto them.$ A photo of tree trunks during golden hour, with a warm glow making them seem almost as though they have an inner light.

A photo of tree trunks during golden hour, with a warm glow making them seem almost as though they have an inner light.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Really bit a lot off with this one, now let's see if I can chew it. #wip #traditionalart

An oil painting in progress of a huge bunch of ladybugs hanging onto some grass.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Old buildings become new habitats, mother nature retaking what is hers. You wouldn't believe how much fun I had putting in those little blocks on the silos. Reclamation Oil on canvas, 24"x36" #BlueSkyArtShow #Pieces #SensoryArt #CopyPaste

Five silos standing in a field of grass, in a state of disrepair and covered in vining poison ivy. The sky is blue with light puffy clouds. There are trees in the background.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Playing around with a more stylized approach... Won't be my go-to, but I definitely learned a lot! Eclipsed Expectations Oil on canvas, 18"x24x"

An oil painting of stylized prickly pear cacti in blues and purples. The pads are nestled between rocks and there is grass and small green plants in the background. The backdrop is a black circle with yellow and orange surrounding it.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

My enduring love of green continues. GREEN Oil on canvas, 18"x24" #BotanicalArt #BlueskyArtShow #Jagged

Lush green fern fronds emerge from black shadows, fading to light green, almost white, where the light on them is brightest.

This is the second time I've painted from this reference, maybe I'll show how much improved over the last decade or so soon...

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Thanks for hosting, Tisha! I'm Reed, a desert-dweller who's constantly seeking out lush things to paint.

A set of nine paintings on wood panels depicting berries of many species in vibrant colors using watercolor and a wood burning pen.

An oil painting of a rainy day's hike outside of Moab. The rocks are wet and shiny and the trail is soaked and vibrantly colored. The plants look dry and crispy, thankful for the rain after a long time without.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Officially calling it on my (mostly) berries series! It's been so fun to explore the vastly different ways that similar structures express themselves 🫐 Morphology Watercolor and pyrography pen on panels 5.5"x5.5" each #art #botanicalart #traditionalart

A set of nine wooden panels showing berries of different species on each. The berries are brightly colored with watercolors and outlined with a wood burning tool.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Another Tucson berry! The wolfberry plant has such different morphology from the others in this series- it was a real treat to do something a little different. #art #woodburning #watercolor #botanical

A wooden panel with a wolfberry plant burned into it with a pyrography pen. The plant is colored with watercolors, showing berries from green to yellow and red and gray bark.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

All three (plus some other projects) are getting more attention than a single painting usually gets from me

A laughing in progress of some ferns, half with a purple underpainting and half with green tones. I might have to paint this again in purple...

An oil painting nearing completion of some silos covered in vines behind a grassy field. The sky is blue with a light scattering of clouds, and there are dense trees behind the silos.

A painting (style study of Anthony Hurd's work) in its beginning stages. There is a red underpainting, with a layer of black outlining the focus of the painting- prickly pears with grass behind them.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Closeups of the four I haven't posted yet.

I lied, this one's not an agave, it's an aloe. Viewed from above, the plant is a vibrant, bright green. It looks as though it's almost glowing.

This one's actually an agave. Also viewed from above, this one is green with gold spines along its leaves and deep blue shadows.

This softly blue agave has smooth edges ending in dark spines. The shading is smooth, and you can see the imprints the leaves leave on each other as the plant grows out from the center.

The most stylized piece of the group, this agave has black outlines of its leaves and spines. The plant is a light blue, fading through to a pale green at its brightest points.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

This agave series from a couple years ago was such a fun way to explore different painting styles. Their arrangement is meant to mimic the way agave pups sprout up around the mother plant 🌱 #art #oilpainting #botanical #traditionalart

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Hey I love progress pictures so much. Half of my painting process is stitching them together and staring at it. #art #oilpainting #landscape

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Google photos axed the tool I use to crop my art photos and I'm seething. #art #watercolor #woodburning #botanical

Shiny, dark blue berries on a backdrop of lush green leaves, illustrated with a pyrography pen and watercolor.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Just past the halfway point on the berries series! I've got total of 12 in progress/finished panels. #art #traditionalart #watercolor #woodburning

A wood panel burned with a pyrography pen and painted with watercolors to show bright red berries and lush green leaves.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Hi #PortfolioDay 🌿 I'm Reed, an artist from Tucson who (primarily) works in oil paint. I focus on botanical art and landscapes to try and capture the wonder of finding the hidden little secrets of the world. #art #oilpainting #traditionalart

An oil painting of a trail on a rainy day, with the rain bringing out the vibrant colors of the rocks and earth.

An oil painting of a bristlecone pine, with its wizened, orange bark on a rocky slope.

An oil painting of a boardwalk through a vibrantly green, overgrown forest bursting with life.

An oil painting of a close-up of snowberries, the white fruit contrasting with the rich green leaves behind them.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Gearing up to make a second batch of these guys. I'm about to have an ungodly number of coasters.

God these took forever to make.

A set of seven hexagonal wood coasters with the centers cut out and filled with resin and pressed flowers.

Art, functional art, botanical art

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

This one's my favorite panel yet! The first plant in the series native to the Tucson area. Manzanita fruits are botanically drupes, not berries, but I'm counting it anyways. #art #traditionalart #sciart #watercolor

A watercolor painting of red manzanita fruit on a wood panel etched with a wood burning tool.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

When it rains, it pours, and I've had such a flood of energy to make art 🌱 This one's a redo of one of my oil paintings. #art #traditionalart #woodburning #watercolor

White berries burned into wood with a pyrography pen, surrounded by green leaves.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Making these is such a nice little treat while I'm waiting on layers of oil paint to dry 🫐 #art #traditionalart #woodburning #watercolor

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

A scene from a drizzly day's hike just outside of Moab. Petrichor Oil on canvas, 24"x26" #BlueSkyArtShow #GetOutside #Art

Traditional art, oil on canvas showing a trail outside of Moab. A cloudy sky rains onto shiny, wet rocks. The path becomes red as it soaks up the water and the plants rejoice after a long drought.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Maybe my next project is building a giant flower to replace my bed with. It just looks so cozy. Oil on canvas, 5" diameter

An oil painting of two bees covered in pollen, snuggled up together in a pink flower. I go look in my globemallows for more of these cuties most evenings, but I've only seen this the one time.

Also shh, don't tell my partner about this. It's a surprise gift for them when they get back from out of town.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Am I going to cover every spare wall in this house with plants? You bet I am.

A monochromatic green mural on a white backdrop showing California poppies.

Botanical art, traditional art, Tucson artist

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

I love painting at all sorts of different scales! The mountains around Tucson light up every evening and I can't get enough of it- now I get to see them glow all day.

A mural on a brick wall in a garden full of native plants, showing mountains at sunset.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Pretty sure I've got the best studio assistant.

A black and white cat mid yell in front of an unfinished oil painting.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Still figuring out how I want to treat the leaves through this series. On to the next! #art #traditionalart #woodburning #watercolor

An image of bright red, orange, and yellow berries burned into a pine board with a pyrography pen and colored with watercolors.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Hi! I'm Reed, and I'm a Tucson artist who works mostly in traditional mediums. Most of my art is oil on canvas, but sometimes I work with watercolor, pyrography pens, and resin. I really like plants- 90% of what you'll find here is botanical or landscape focused 🌿

Wooden panel with pyrography pen and watercolor depicting California poppies. This was referenced from a picture I took in my garden!

An oil painting of a bristlecone pine, one of the most awe-inspiring trees imo, given their longevity.

An oil painting of snowberries, white against a green background.

An oil painting of a blue glow agave, viewed from the top.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

One from the vault, referenced from a Burn Area Emergency Response hitch from my trail crew days. Something about the old system wasn't healthy- this fire shouldn't have spread the way that it did. But plant seeds in the right places, and something beautiful can grow. BAER Oil on canvas, 20"x30"

A piece of art depicting vibrant green foliage erupting from the charred remains of trees. It's horrifying to see destruction on a landscape scale, but with the right care you can help build back a more resilient ecosystem.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

I'm a sucker for really old trees. They look like they have secrets.

The secret is to take life slowly and to be a safe haven for tiny creatures, probably.

A sketchbook page with three gnarled old olive trees drawn in pencil.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

I dunno, probably don't eat any of these. There's only one of them that I'm 100% sure isn't toxic, and it's not a good snacking berry.

Six light wood panels on a dark background, each with a different kind of berry burned into it using a pyrography pen.

#art #traditionalart #woodburning

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

I've been having an unreasonable amount of fun with this wood burning tool. Makes me smell like campfire 🔥

In-progress art on a desk. A pyrography pen and watercolors are in the background, with a wood panel with three images of berries in various stages of completion in front.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

This was the second dryest winter on record in Tucson and I've been missing the wildflowers. Hoping that the recent rain will wake the desert up! Watercolor and pyrography pen on wood panel, 7"x7"

A piece of art depicting California poppies, burned into a wood panel and painted with watercolor. The green, orange, and black panel sits on a white fabric background.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Bristlecone pines can live over 5,000 years- this one's survived through the rise and fall of countless civilizations. Those of you who live in the US, please make your voice heard in support of protecting our public lands and the treasures they hold. The Ancient Oil on canvas, 24"x36"

An oil painting of a bristlecone pine from the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in California. The visitor's center has a cool dendrochronology exhibit!

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

It's been nice to make some art that reads more like an item than an image. Pyrography pen for bold lines and texture, watercolor to bring it to life.

Two hands holding a piece of art on a wood panel depicting a tree and a rock. A wood burning tool was used to create the linework and texture, and watercolor was layered on top.

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Reed @throughthereeds.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Take some time to embody a little creature, snuffling around to find the tiny treasures of the world. It's good for you, I promise. I've been waiting for a good time to share my #berry painting, and #mARTch25 had the perfect prompt! Symphoricarpos Oil on canvas, 24"x36"

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