Singing Desert
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“Singing Desert”
About the Painting
The desert isn't silent — it has its own frequency, its own kind of singing. Maia has been listening long enough to paint it.
All paper Giclées include a ½″ white border on all four sides — the fine-art presentation standard. The image area is 1″ smaller per dimension than the print size. Maia signs in the lower-right corner of the white border.
Any size, on request — full composition preserved. The sizes above use standard frame dimensions to keep framing simple and affordable. If you’d prefer the exact proportions of the original, write to the studio for a quote.
Any size, on request — full composition preserved. Write to the studio for a custom quote.
Price range: $54.00 through $2,491.00
The desert isn’t silent — it has its own frequency, its own kind of singing. Maia has been listening long enough to paint it.
Presentation
Every paper Giclée is named for its image area plus a half-inch presentation border — so an 8×10 print carries a 7×9 image surrounded by a half-inch of white on all four sides. That white margin stays visible between the mat window and the painting when the piece is framed, which is the standard in fine-art printing. Maia signs each print in the lower-right corner of that border.
The physical paper that ships will be larger than the named size — at least an inch beyond the print dimensions on each side, sometimes more depending on the press run. That extra white is there for your framer: it gives them clean handling room to mount and position the print without touching the image or the presentation border.
Every print in this series is produced by Charles Phillips — a fine art photographer who studied with Ansel Adams in 1972 and has spent his career as a professional printer of his own wilderness images and Maia’s Giclée series. When Charles prints a Giclée, he brings the same exacting eye he developed over a lifetime of fine art photography.
Standard sizes and framing
Paper Giclées are sized to standard frame dimensions rather than proportional to the original painting. To achieve this, images are cropped from the original composition — an intentional trade-off that keeps framing simple and affordable. Each size pairs with a specific standard frame:
| Print size | Frame with mat |
|---|---|
| 8″ × 10″ | 11″ × 14″ |
| 11″ × 14″ | 16″ × 20″ |
| 16″ × 20″ | 20″ × 24″ |
| 20″ × 30″ | 24″ × 36″ |
| 22″ × 32″ | 30″ × 40″ |
| 30″ × 42″ | 36″ × 48″ — oversized, but standard frames are manufactured in this size |
| 34″ × 54″ | 40″ × 60″ — oversized, but standard frames are manufactured in this size |
The two larger sizes are less commonly stocked and may need to be ordered through a specialty or online framer, but they are standard manufactured dimensions — not custom fabrication.
Any size, on request — full composition preserved
We can print any size you want, up to 40 inches on the short side. For collectors who want the full composition of the original painting without cropping, or who prefer a specific dimension, we produce prints proportional to the original. These larger or custom sizes require custom framing. Write to the studio to discuss size, pricing, and framing options.
Canvas Giclées
Canvas Giclées ship rolled in a protective tube. Any local custom framer can stretch and mount them. Because the print travels rolled rather than pre-stretched or pre-framed, the shipping cost is meaningfully lower and the print arrives without risk of frame damage in transit. If you’d like help finding a framer in your area, write to the studio.
Every piece leaves the studio fully insured for its purchase value and tracked from door to door.
Original paintings ship on a route confirmed with the collector before any work travels, and require a signature at delivery.
Paper and Canvas Giclées ship rolled in a sturdy protective tube. Production takes two to four weeks.
If a piece does not feel right in your space after you have lived with it, please reach out within 30 days of delivery and we will arrange an exchange or return.
If a piece arrives damaged in transit, photograph the packaging before unpacking and write to the studio the same day.
To inquire about a similar commission or ask any question about this painting, write to the studio and Maia will answer personally.
Description
Stand still in the desert for twenty minutes and you begin to hear it: the particular quality of silence that isn’t silence at all, the wind through the saguaro, the way the heat radiates off the rock in the afternoon. The Southwest has a presence that goes beyond what the eye sees, and Maia — who has returned to these landscapes again and again throughout her career — understands that painting the desert means painting what you hear and feel as much as what you see.
Singing Desert is the result of that understanding: a landscape painting that asks you to slow down and pay attention, the way the desert itself does. There is nothing polite or hurried about this landscape, and Maia has not made it that way. She has painted the desert as it is — vast, warm, insistent, and beautiful on its own terms.
The desert has always had its own warmth, Maia has said — one she can feel coming off the easel before the paint dries. Singing Desert carries that warmth.
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Collectors can choose the form of this work that best fits their home, budget, and relationship to the image.
Original Oil PaintingThe original is the one-of-a-kind painting created by Maia's hand. It carries the full presence of the painted surface: scale, texture, brushwork, color relationships, and the physical energy of the work.
Giclée on CanvasA Giclée on Canvas offers a fine-art reproduction with a substantial wall presence. Canvas is a strong choice for collectors who want the image to feel closer to the presence of a painting. Maia's canvas Giclées are produced with archival pigmented inks on canvas and are hand-signed where applicable. Canvas Giclées ship rolled and unstretched so a qualified local framer can stretch or frame the piece for the collector's space.
Giclée on PaperA Giclée on Paper offers an accessible way to live with Maia's color, composition, and sense of place. Paper Giclées are especially well suited for collectors who prefer matting and framing under glass. Paper Giclées are printed with archival pigmented inks on fine-art paper and are hand-signed where applicable. They arrive unframed so the collector can choose a mat and frame that fit the home.
Giclée prints are produced to order and ship rolled in a sturdy protective tube. Paper prints arrive unframed; canvas prints arrive unstretched and ready for local stretching or framing.
Shipping Giclées rolled in protective tubes helps avoid the significantly higher cost of shipping pre-stretched, framed, or crated artwork. It also gives collectors more flexibility to choose a local framing or stretching option that fits their home.
Typical Fulfillment TimeGiclée orders are usually completed and prepared for shipment within 2–4 weeks from order. This allows time for printing, finishing, hand-signing where applicable, careful inspection, and packing.
If timing is important for a specific installation, event, or travel schedule, please contact the studio before ordering.
Choosing the right size and presentation can be difficult from a screen. The studio can help collectors think through scale, placement, and format before ordering.
The studio can help with practical questions such as choosing between the original, Giclée on Canvas, and Giclée on Paper; understanding how a size may feel in a room; deciding whether canvas or paper is the better presentation; thinking through matting, framing, or canvas stretching; finding a qualified local framer when needed; and requesting a wall mockup when available.
A painting should feel at home in the space where it will live. If you are uncertain, a short conversation before ordering can prevent confusion and help you choose with confidence.
Maia Leisz Fine Art packs artwork carefully and ships with the goal that each piece arrives safely.
Original PaintingsOriginal paintings require special handling and shipping arrangements based on size, destination, and framing needs. Large original works may require custom packing, professional crating, or direct shipping coordination. Shipping details for originals may be confirmed with the studio before purchase or handled as part of the collector follow-up process.
Giclée PrintsGiclée prints ship rolled in protective tubes. Paper prints should be handled carefully by the edges and taken to a qualified framer for matting and framing. Canvas prints arrive unstretched and should be taken to a local framer or canvas-stretching professional.
Please avoid leaving rolled prints in extreme heat, moisture, or direct sunlight before framing. If the print will not be framed immediately, keep it protected in its tube in a clean, dry place.
If artwork arrives damaged, please photograph the outer packaging, inner packaging, and artwork immediately, and contact the studio as soon as possible. The studio will review the situation and work through the appropriate next steps.
If a piece does not feel right in your space after you have lived with it, please reach out within 30 days of delivery and we will arrange an exchange or return.
Please contact the studio before sending anything back so we can arrange the return together. Artwork should be returned in its original condition and packaging.
If a piece arrives damaged in transit, photograph the packaging before unpacking and write to the studio the same day.
About This Work
Artist notes and additional details coming soon.