815 Miles of Watercolors
Watercolor Wanderings: An Arizona Trail Journey
August 27 – October 5, 2025, Agua Caliente Park Ranch House Gallery
Tucson watercolor artist Terri Gay presents “Watercolor Wanderings: An Arizona Trail Journey”, a solo exhibition of plein air and studio paintings inspired by her 815-mile trek along the entire Arizona Trail, from Mexico to Utah. The show runs August 27 through October 5, 2025, at the Ranch House Gallery at Agua Caliente Park, offering a glimpse into Arizona’s landscapes, history, and natural beauty. Gay’s connection to the trail is both artistic and adventurous. “I sketched during my backpacking, climbing and travel adventures,” she explains. “When I set out to hike the Arizona Trail, I assumed I’d do the same—but I quickly learned I needed my energy just to make it from one place to the next.”
After attempting a thru-hike in 2003 and finding the trail obscured by snow on day two, Gay adjusted her plans. What followed was a six-year journey of section-hiking the trail—returning again and again to pick up the path where she left off. She captured scenes on-site, in watercolor, battling wind, bugs, sun, and time limits to translate fleeting impressions into lasting images. “Most of the paintings were done outdoors in a single sitting,” she says. “Others were completed in the studio using field sketches and photos. Either way, my aim has always been to record the feeling of the moment, not a perfect rendering of the place.”
The result is a body of work fifteen years in the making—an artistic reflection of perseverance, place, and presence in wild and not so wild Arizona.
Gay is a Signature Member of the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild and the Sonoran Plein Air Painters, an Associate Member of the American Watercolor Society, and a member of the Arizona Plein Air Painters and Tucson Barrio Painters. She has exhibited throughout Southern Arizona and earned numerous awards.
The artist will be in the gallery on Sundays throughout the exhibit to chat about art, hiking and the Arizona Trail. A portion of the sales will benefit the Arizona Trail Association.
Exhibit Details:
- August 27 – October 5, 2025
- Ranch House Gallery at Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E. Roger Rd., Tucson, AZ
- Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 9 AM – 1 PM
- Special Events:
- Painting Demonstration: Saturday, September 6, 8 – 10 AM
- Artist’s Reception: Saturday, September 13, 2025, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
Media Contact: Terri Gay
terrigayfineart@gmail.com
(520) 488‑3960 (Texts welcome)
Instagram: @terri_gay_fine_art