Dawn along Upper Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona

As I sketched and pondered this painting, I was most interested in the luminous blues and purples of pre-dawn twilight. However, what compelled me more as I proceeded were the power lines, with their subtle verticals. This is a vast panorama of wilderness, threaded by hiking trails.

I returned to this spot every day before the sun rose and painted until mid-morning. It is very cold before dawn in Sedona in October, but rapidly warms up when the sun breaks the eastern horizon. I went out in fleece; by the time I finished, I needed to swing over to my friend Deb’s house and switch into shorts.

My little dog Guillo was with me, and he was fascinated by the desert insects that awakened with the sun. Guillo is a very gentle dog, but he was terribly curious about these tiny tiny passers-by. I am not often worried about painting alone, but it was nice to have his company in the pre-dawn gloaming.

I love painting in Sedona, and return there every chance I get.