Note from Todd (Founder of MadeinUSAForever.com): I am so pleased to introduce our customer and a truly incredible artist. Her book is astounding. Martha has done for nature photography what the Renaissance did for paint and stone.  

City Nature: A lavishly illustrated book that will look great on any coffee table – especially yours!

In City Nature, I introduce you to my ornery desert plants and the opinionated birds that decided my place is the perfect venue for nesting and raising young, I share my gardening triumphs and tragedies, and I explain how I capture it all through a lens. 

But this is so much more than a nature-themed coffee table book. The word “project” is one of my all-time favorites, and you’ll find a lot of them in City Nature. Among other things, I’ll show you how to harvest and grind mesquite tree pods into flour, and I share my favorite mesquite cookie recipe.

I am also a passionate upcycler. And what is upcycling? It’s the act of repurposing worthy objects in ways that are useful or artistic. In City Nature, I will show you my favorite upcycling project. It involves a used chandelier – and my garden.

City Nature concludes with a list of suggested resources that encompasses books, websites, organizations, and businesses that will help you learn more about desert gardening, landscaping, and water conservation.

Martha Retallick is an award-winning photographer, writer, and designer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Michigan and has done additional coursework in graphic design and in building and construction technologies at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.

Martha has freelanced as a commercial photographer, web and graphic designer, and business consultant. She has also worked on the editorial staffs of three different publications.

As a fine art photographer, Martha has hosted her own solo photography exhibitions and has been included in group shows at Tucson’s Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop and the Tohono Chul botanical garden.

In addition, Martha volunteers as a citizen scientist through daily weather monitoring and as an undergraduate admissions interviewer for the University of Arizona Eller College of Management.

Choices include a Limited edition signed and numbered copy for $99.95, or a limited Collectors Edition signed, limited 150 copies, and with a premium slip case.