When I reflect on my journey as an artist, one constant has always guided me: light. It’s what drew me to watercolor initially and what continues to inspire my work today. From the gentle glow of Sedona’s sunsets to the shimmering reflections seen under black light, light has forever been my guide—unpredictable, humbling, and endlessly inspiring.
In the early days, watercolor was my compass. I loved its transparency, how pigment moved across the paper in ways I couldn’t control but could only guide. Each wash carried a whisper of its own, and I learned that sometimes the most beautiful moments in art happen when you simply let go.
Those first watercolor artworks—created far from Sedona, in a small New Jersey studio—became my foundation. They taught me how to see, how to wait, and how to find calm inside the chaos. Years later, when I discovered fluorescent acrylics and the glow they offered, I realized I was chasing the same thing—light, just in a louder, more expressive form.
My Top Nine Collection brings that journey together. These nine paintings—created in watercolor, oil, and fluorescent acrylic—trace my evolution from quiet washes to luminous intensity. Together, they tell the story of how Sedona shaped not just my art, but the way I see the world.
Cathedral Moon
Every artist has one painting that quietly shapes their journey. For me, that piece is Cathedral Moon.
It started as a collector’s request—an invitation to revisit Creekside Cathedral, my very first oil painting after a six-year break. I painted Creekside Cathedral guided by a Navajo spirit, and it became a turning point in my artistic journey. That original oil was later sold at the American Contemporary Art Show in Guangzhou, China, where it connected Sedona’s essence with a whole new audience.
Four years later, the collector who had fallen in love with Creekside Cathedral imagined a new version—this time with a glowing moon and a triptych format large enough to fill her Sedona great room. That idea became Cathedral Moon, a work that radiates peace and mystery without using fluorescents.
It became the signature piece of my Cathedral Rock Series, symbolizing stillness and reflection. Collectors often tell me it feels alive—that the moonlight seems to breathe across the water. Though Cathedral Moon came years after Creekside Cathedral, the two paintings are forever linked—one born of sunlight, the other of moonlight. Together, they represent the rhythm that continues to shape my Sedona luminous landscapes.
Coyote’s Lunar Serenade
If Cathedral Moon is about stillness, Coyote’s Lunar Serenade is all about motion—that desert rhythm that stirs at twilight when the coyote begins to sing.
Painted in fluorescent acrylics, it glows like a dream. Under daylight, the colors shimmer in warm oranges and violets; under black light, they ignite into electric tones that seem to dance across the canvas. It’s one of my true Day-to-Night artworks, a tribute to the humor, mystery, and spirit of the Southwest.
For me, the coyote represents freedom—a reminder not to take life too seriously and to laugh even in solitude. Collectors love how it changes with the light, and many say it feels like two paintings in one. Coyote’s Lunar Serenade captures that duality of Sedona: wild yet peaceful, playful yet eternal.
Devil’s Bridge
There’s something humbling about standing on Sedona’s Devil’s Bridge and realizing how small you are compared to the landscape around you. When I painted this piece, I wanted to capture that feeling of balance—the bridge connecting earth and sky, body and spirit.
A fluorescent agave glows in the foreground, its edges outlined by subtle phosphorescent layers that come alive under black light. Hidden hearts lie scattered through the forest below—my quiet expression of gratitude for those who continue to believe in what I do.
This painting isn’t panoramic, but it draws you inward instead of outward. It reminds me that strength and beauty often live in the same place—and that Sedona’s real bridge is the one between the physical and the spiritual.
Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise
Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise began as a digital re-imagining of my earlier painting Sedona’s Mystical Moonrise. In this panoramic version, I replaced the moon with Earth itself, rising above Sedona’s red rocks like a blue-green jewel in space.
The result is a panoramic landscape painting that glows with cosmic energy—available exclusively as fine-art prints and luminous metal prints. Collectors are drawn to its vastness, its sense of both serenity and awe.
While Sedona’s Mystical Moonrise remains an original black-light painting that transforms dramatically under ultraviolet light, Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise carries its own quiet radiance. It’s about connection—the way Sedona reminds us that Earth itself is a living, breathing miracle.
Enchantment
Some paintings become more than images—they become foundations. Enchantment is one of those works for me.
Painted as a panoramic watercolor in the early 1990s while I was still living in New Jersey, this piece was my way of reaching across miles to capture Sedona’s first light. Golden yet cool, vast yet tender—Sedona’s glow became the subject, and watercolor turned out to be the perfect medium to express it.
In Enchantment, I worked in long, sweeping formats inspired by Panoramic Landscape Paintings, allowing color and air to stretch across the horizon. Layer upon layer, I glazed the red rocks until they held both structure and atmosphere, strength and delicacy. Those soft gradients became the breath of the painting—what collectors later called its “quiet energy.”
The original panoramic artwork found a collector long ago, but Enchantment continues to live on through Panoramic Landscape Prints, Panoramic Wall Art, and Panoramic Landscape Art reproductions available as canvas gallery wraps, giclée art prints, and luminous metal prints.
Unlike some of my later glow-in-the-dark wall art, Enchantment doesn’t transform under black light—it shines through its stillness. Collectors often hang it over fireplaces or in entryways, where its calm, balanced presence fills a room with quiet light. It remains one of my most requested Sedona watercolor paintings, and one that continues to remind me that serenity is its own kind of brilliance.
Pitiado
If Enchantment was about balance, Pitiado was about letting go. Painted in the early 1990s, this experimental watercolor marked the moment I began to see the medium as a partner, not a tool.
Around that time, I attended a Skip Lawrence workshop, where I learned that watercolor wasn’t something to control—it was something to discover. I took that idea to heart and began experimenting with techniques that embraced chance.
For Pitiado, I began by painting the entire cactus and adobe in frisket—a masking fluid used to reserve the white of the paper. That meant painting everything in frisket first, then applying watercolor washes to the adobe and sky. Once the paint dried, I carefully removed the frisket, revealing untouched white areas. From there, I painted the cactus and other details in vibrant watercolor.
I also sprinkled kosher salt into the wet washes to create crystalline blooms, pressed Saran Wrap to map fractured textures, and used a hairdryer to move pigment around. Out of that energy emerged Kokopelli, the desert flute player—a figure of creativity and joy.
Though painted in New Jersey, Pitiado carried the voice of the Southwest. It was one of my first Sedona watercolor paintings, even before I lived there. To this day, it remains a collector favorite—a celebration of discovery, play, and freedom.
Pure Joy
Sometimes inspiration finds you through a friend. Pure Joy began when a friend shared a photo of herself hiking through Sedona. Something about her expression—the sense of wonder and the way light wrapped around her—caught my attention.
I took that image into my studio and decided to paint it, keeping the scale true to her spirit and the scene. The result became one of my happiest works—an explosion of color rendered in fluorescent acrylics.
Pure Joy radiates exactly what its title suggests. Collectors often tell me it lifts their mood the moment they see it. To me, it’s proof that joy is as contagious as light—and that sometimes the most spontaneous ideas become the most enduring art.
Tequila Sunrise
Inspired by the Eagles’ timeless song, Tequila Sunrise captures the first light of day as it sweeps across the desert. Hues of rose, amber, and gold fill the sky while many saguaro cacti greet the morning.
This Southwest artwork is one of my personal favorites for its sense of renewal. Hidden hearts are tucked throughout the landscape—small reminders of gratitude and connection. Painted in fluorescent acrylics, it glows in both daylight and under black light, shifting gently between the two.
The original Tequila Sunrise was sold years ago, but the image continues to shine through Canvas Gallery Wraps, Giclée Art Prints, and Luminous Metal Prints that capture its warm, uplifting energy.
Collectors often tell me they feel the sunrise itself radiating from the canvas. For me, it represents the creative spark that keeps returning—proof that every ending brings another light.
Sedona’s Red Rock Roadrunner (“Morgan”)
Finally, there’s Sedona’s Red Rock Roadrunner, affectionately nicknamed “Morgan.”
This painting pays tribute to the original steel sculpture by artists Don Kennell and Lisa Adler, which greets travelers at Sedona’s Morgan Road roundabout. I reimagined the roadrunner in fluorescent acrylics, capturing its humor and motion in glowing color. Under black light, his feathers reveal a subtle 3-D effect—a nod to the sculpture’s dimensional energy.
In the painting, the desert trail beneath him points toward Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and Castle Rock—the landmarks that anchor Sedona’s skyline. Morgan embodies everything I love about this place: movement, color, and spirit. It reminds me daily that art can be playful and profound at once.
Bridging Watercolor and Fluorescent Acrylics
When I look across my studio walls, I see decades of lessons layered in pigment—the transparency of watercolor whispering beside the brilliance of acrylic. Watercolor taught me humility; acrylic taught me courage. One asks for patience; the other demands boldness.
What ties them together is light. My watercolor artworks capture Sedona’s subtle moods—quiet mornings, calm reflections, and gentle transitions. My fluorescent acrylics celebrate its vibrancy—the way sunsets ignite and starlight lingers. Both reveal Sedona’s soul in their own way.
From panoramic landscape paintings like Sedona’s Hypnotic Earthrise to more intimate Southwest wall art such as Enchantment, my goal has never changed: to honor the desert’s mystical energy. To me, these are more than Sedona paintings—they’re meditations in color, balance, and gratitude.
The Heart of the Collection
The Top Nine Collection wasn’t designed on a calendar—it grew naturally, chosen by the collectors, travelers, and friends who connected with these works. Each painting carries its own story, yet together they form one long conversation about Sedona’s timeless glow.
They bridge my past and present—from the delicate touch of my early watercolor artist Sedona days to the bold, luminous artwork I create today. They show that art, like light, never stands still.
So here they are—the nine that continue to guide me. My invitation is simple: explore them, feel their warmth, and find the one that speaks to you. Because at the heart of it all, my art is just that—a reflection of the light that connects us all.
Meta description (160 characters): Explore Sedona artist Clark Sheppard’s Top Nine—from early watercolors to glowing acrylics—luminous artworks celebrating Sedona’s light and spirit.
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Sedona art gallery, mystical art, glowing paintings, colorful artwork, Sedona artist Clark Sheppard, giclée art prints, southwest landscape art, vivid mystical landscapes, fluorescent acrylics