Sedona Cliffs

Sedona, Arizona has become a kind of spiritual retreat. But underlying its trendy appeal is the timeless majesty of canyon land. Here, God paints with a broad brush, creating monuments to eternity on a scale that dwarfs human ambition.

When I saw the massive Sedona Cliffs – rising jagged like broken teeth – above the roaring mountain stream, I knew I had to set up my easel right at that spot. There was a special quality to the light, firing the wispy mare-tail clouds, gleaming on the distant cliffs, toughing the valley trees with gold and dancing on the burbling brook. I know how elusive such light can be. I had to capture the moment before it faded.

Wind scours the canyons, carving the massive spires and mesas even as we watch. As I painted, that desert wind kicked up clouds of dust; some of it mixed with my pigments as I worked. It was exhilarating! I felt that God was, in a sense, painting with me as I laid on my bold brush strokes.

Now, when I enjoy Sedona Cliffs at my leisure, I feel that there truly was such a collaboration at work. Indeed in a sense, that is true of all effective Plein Air paintings – collaborations between the artist and the places that inspire him.