The Story Behind My Vivid Mystical Landscapes

My Vivid Mystical Landscapes didn’t begin as a plan to create a new style. They evolved naturally as I began looking for ways to move beyond simply painting what I saw and toward painting what a place made me feel.

A turning point came in 2019, during a workshop with artist Claudia Hartley. That experience encouraged me to loosen up, experiment, and let imagination play a larger role in my landscapes. The painting Inspired emerged from that period, and with it came the patterned skies, bolder color, and playful energy that would become an important part of my work.

From the Landscape to My Imagination

I usually begin with something recognizable—a Sedona red-rock formation, a desert scene, a dramatic sky, or a landscape discovered during my travels. But somewhere along the way, reality starts giving way to imagination.

Colors become stronger. Skies develop patterns. Shapes become more playful. Sometimes hidden hearts, animals, or other surprises find their way into the painting.

That’s what I enjoy most about creating these landscapes. I’m not trying to show you exactly what a camera would see. I want to show you the landscape as it exists in my imagination.

When Fluorescent Acrylics Changed My Art

Discovering fluorescent acrylics gave me another way to push that idea further. In normal light, the paintings are filled with vivid color and detail. Under black light, many of my original paintings reveal a second personality as fluorescent colors and unexpected elements begin to glow.

That day-to-night transformation has become one of the defining characteristics of many of my newer Southwest landscape paintings, allowing familiar places to become something a little more mysterious.

Go Behind the Canvas

Every painting has its own story, and many contain details that aren’t obvious at first glance. Go Behind the Canvas to discover how my style developed, why I use fluorescent acrylics, the hidden hearts and surprises in my paintings, and the experiences that continue to shape my art.

Or explore my Sedona Landscape Paintings and Cathedral Rock Paintings to see how this evolving style has transformed some of my favorite Southwest landscapes.