Adding art to the mix at Desert Botanical Garden

At first, I was doubtful that the Desert Botanical Garden needed anything more to delight the eye than its wondrous variety of desert flora and the occasional bird and reptile sightings. But then the sculptures scattered near the Desert Discovery Loop Trail began to grow on me, and I could see that art in the garden — one of the newer endeavors at this well-known Phoenix attraction — wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Through May 27, 2013, visitors can see “Whispers of a New World,” various nature-inspired sculptures by Carolina Escobar. The artist uses steel, copper screen and resined cloth to create colorful, organic shapes that blend harmoniously with their surroundings. When I didn’t have my eye stuck to my Nikon’s viewfinder to capture all the wonderful wildflowers this time of year, I was studying Escobar’s works, and you can form an opinion of your own by looking at the slide show below. A complementary addition, or a distraction: what do you think?

Also on view at the garden — through April 28, 2013 — is a Philip Haas collection of giant sculptural heads called “The Four Seasons.” Inspired by the paintings of the same name by Italian Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Haas cleverly integrates fiberglass renditions of leaves, twigs, flowers, fruits, etc. to form the comical heads. You can find the installation in the centrally located Stardust Plaza.

And one more piece of art to catch your eye: The Dale Chihuly piece “Desert Towers” is near the garden’s entrance — a nice reminder of the spectacular Chihuly show at the garden a few years ago.

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