Sunrise, the light of day emerging from the dark of night, is always a surprise. Opening my eyes to see what colors dawn brings with it is like opening a gift-wrapped box with my name on it. Like it or not, whatever I find is what I'll have!

On this late summer morning, clouds ribboned the sky, still deep violet blue and half asleep. As the sun broke over the mountainous horizon, it gifted those clouds with gold. I couldn't have chosen a more perfect gift to start my day.

This is a small but fully developed painting, rich in color and fine detail. I left out the horizon and let the sky tell its own story, with the clouds sweeping the viewer across the heavens and into the day.