Photo by Brandon Sullivan Craig Cheply works in his studio.

The front yard of a pretty mid-century home in Tempe, Arizona, is a profusion of Spanish lavender, aloe, Mexican bird of paradise, fish hook barrel cactus, globe mallow, creosote, octopus agave and numerous other xeriscape-appropriate plants. Recycled flagstone borders a rolling landscape created from tons of dirt and boulders.

Painter Craig Cheply’s strong connection with nature and the environment is evident even before setting foot in his home and studio. In fact, the front landscape could be a metaphor for the artist’s work. A quick overview of his subject matter reveals a potpourri of objects from the natural world. Poppies, cacti, sunsets, skyscapes, desert scenes, animals and other examples of nature’s offspring have found their way to Cheply’s canvases.

Much of his work involves environmental commentary. In that regard, he considers himself a “visual journalist.” He explains: “The definition of the word journalist means to observe, to comment, to respond, whether it is in written form, through choreography, or, in my case, through painting.” His observations of elements in the Southwest, he contends, include “the good, bad and downright ugly.”

A case in point is his painting titled History Hasn’t Changed. We’re Still Stuck in the Tar Pits, created with motor oil, tar and latex. The work shows multiple freeway lanes clogged with phantom cars and trucks; these are mired in ooze, their occupants breathing in petroleum fumes alongside a mastodon, saber-tooth tiger and other extinct creatures. “Planners have not thought ahead of what’s coming into the state,” Cheply comments. “Construction, freeways that should have been built 25 years ago . . . we are basically inland Los Angeles.”

Craig Cheply captures Mother Nature’s glory and its struggle for survival in his acrylic on canvas paintings Temporary Beauty, 30" x 36"

The sole proprietor of Artist Environs, LLC, Cheply often uses his art to spotlight situations he says badly need attention, such as our “reliance on the petroleum industry to get from here to there,” and Arizona’s water issues. Relevant to the latter, he suggests that Marc Reisner’s 1986 book Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water (Penguin Books) should be required reading for anyone moving to the state.

To understand the genesis of the tar pit painting and much of Cheply’s other work, one can go to the Arizona Museum of Natural History (formerly Mesa Southwest Museum) in Mesa and visit the Adventure Center. Its walls are lined with 10 permanent murals that Cheply painted between 1999 and 2006. Large-scale subject matter explores the Southwest’s history from the time before dinosaurs to the present day, with speculations about a potential future.

Cheply’s nature themes resonated with Maureen and Mike Hughes of Tempe. The couple recently commissioned a large painting of Sedona’s Cathedral Rock for their Southwest-style home. “It’s a place where we bike ride, and we have a large atrium in our home that was blank and ugly. We snapped a photo and asked Craig if he could do something. He created an awesome mural,” says Mike. The 8-foot x 6-foot work on canvas is affixed to the atrium wall. Mike also has a smaller Cheply painting in his office.