Native to Africa, the burro was introduced to the Desert Southwest by the Spaniards in the 1500’s. Today, most of America’s wild burros are found in Arizona, where they have been present since 1679, when Jesuit priest Padre Eusebion Kino brought them to the Spanish mission at San Xavier del Bac near what is now Tucson. Burros accompanied explorers and pioneers on their journeys throughout the West, surviving even when the harsh conditions claimed the lives of their human owners. In the Gold Rush years of the 19th century, burros were used primarily in the Southwest as pack animals for prospectors. They worked tirelessly to carry supplies to mining camps. By the end of the mining boom many of them escaped or were turned loose. With their innate ability to survive under the harshest conditions, wild herds eventually formed and flourished. This digital painting is entitled, “Young Burro of the Sonoran Desert.” Information about the artist, this image, and its creation: I am an old-school painter with many years of traditional experience. In recent years, I and many other artists, have developed their talent by using software to create digital art that is unique. The picture presented here, never existed in real life as a photo captured by a camera. This image started with a composite of photos and digitally hand-painted images that were first layered in Photoshop. The outcome is a unique image entirely. If you enlarge the image sufficiently, you will observe brush strokes and colors that were not produced by camera or by a paint brush. These strokes are painted by hand using digital software. I love and respect the art of photography and traditional art forms. However, the creation of this image exists beyond what the camera photographs. This alternative dimension of visual art steps beyond photography and outside the scope of oils, charcoal, pastels, acrylics, or watercolor. I hope that this vital and distinct form of art will continue to gain wider acceptance and r