Sedona has a way of feeling both intimate and cosmic. It is a place where red rock cliffs seem within reach, yet the night sky stretches into infinity. With Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise, I aimed to make that dual nature visible. The piece began as Sedona’s Mystical Moonrise, a fluorescent acrylic painting where the desert glowed under a radiant full moon. Later, a friend suggested I digitally reimagine the sky by replacing the moon with Earth. That single change shifted the mood from mystical to cosmic, and the painting was added to my Top Nine collection.
Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise is not an original painted piece. It exists as a digital transformation of Mystical Moonrise, created to explore a different emotional resonance. Where Moonrise invites quiet reflection, Earthrise evokes awe and universality. Seeing Earth floating above Sedona’s buttes reframes the scene: suddenly, we are not just under a sky, but looking back at our shared home.
Because the foundation comes from a fluorescent acrylic painting, the glow remains a core part of the experience. In daylight, the colors are vibrant and lively—desert siennas, violets, and deep blues. Though Earthrise itself does not display the true black light transformation, the original Mystical Moonrise does. Under UV light, its pigments glow with 3-D depth: buttes stand out, shadows deepen, and the sky becomes a stage where the moon—and now Earth in the digital version—floats like a luminous jewel.
Collectors often tell me the effect of Earthrise makes them feel small but connected—a feeling Sedona itself embodies. It is both personal and infinite, intimate and universal. Although Earthrise exists only as a print, its blend of grounded red rocks and floating Earth can turn a wall into a portal. I’ve heard it described as “a window,” which is perhaps the most heartfelt compliment a landscape can receive.
As with many of my works, I included small details faithful to the Southwest I cherish. Hidden hearts appear in the rocks and brush, quietly inviting viewers to keep exploring, to keep discovering. They remind us that even when a painting leans toward the cosmic, intimacy still belongs.
Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise naturally connects with its sister piece, Sedona’s Mystical Moonrise, where the vision originated. You can explore Moonrise here: It also pairs well with Devil’s Bridge, another fluorescent acrylic inviting viewers into the landscape, and with Cathedral Moon, which meditates on Sedona’s night scene in oil.
For display, collectors often choose luminous metal prints that highlight the sky’s shine, or canvas gallery wraps for a softer glow. Giclée prints offer an accessible way to bring the piece into smaller spaces. Each format maintains the balance of earth and cosmos in the composition, though only the original Mystical Moonrise features the full fluorescent black light effect.
Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise is a reminder that we live inside a miracle. The desert knows it. The sky knows it. And when Earth rises over red rocks, we know it too.
Explore Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise and the full Top Nine collection here: