This painting captures the view from a small shopping center across the street from where I lived in Mesa, Arizona. I’ve lived in many places; Kansas City, New Jersey, California, Hawaii, and none of them had skies like Arizona. When the clouds rolled in and the sun began to set, the sky could light up in ways that stopped you in your tracks.

This painting was inspired by one of those evenings. I wasn’t anywhere special, just a local parking lot, but the sky was unforgettable. I wanted to capture that moment, with palm trees silhouetted against the fiery horizon and the glow of shop lights flickering on as day faded into night.

Arizona sunsets, especially when clouds were present, always felt like magic at the end of the day.