Normally, I paint either from life or from photographs, as clouds and sunsets are fleeting, but this painting turned out much different than the original photo reference I took. I put a lot of personal feeling into it as I painted and a lot of it came from memory and I invented as I went along. The beauties of nature always inspire me, and I feel God's love as I gaze upon his creations. As I created this piece I felt great joy as I painted layer upon layer of colors and pondered His great love for each of us. One of my favorite scriptures is found it D&C 59.

"Verily I say,... the fulness of the earth is yours,... the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man” D&C 59:16-20

When I see a majestic skyscape, it feels like God’s way of saying how much he loves us.

The frame is a custom handmade frame from Masterworks Frames. It is a Whistler-style frame called the “Delphi” with eight layers and a hand-rubbed finish. It has 22-karat hand-laid gold on the inside liner. You can see the 1/4" lay lines of separate sheets of gold leaf, a trademark of an excellent guilder. The builder and the finisher also signed the back of the frame since the frame is an original piece of custom artisanship.

The painting was painted on a gessoed white birch panel because I like using high-quality archival materials.