Sedona Features Timeless Beauty, Energy and Art

Rainbow Over Sedona Red Rocks ©Mary Montague Sikes

As visitors drive toward Sedona, Arizona, a sense of amazement is inevitable when all of a sudden the timeless red rocks rise up in the distance. The views are incredible. Clouds appear as angel images. A rainbow ascends from nowhere into the sky.

No matter how many times we visit this mystical mecca, it is never enough. So many art galleries, so many rock centers, so many spiritual retreats, so many trails to red rock formations--there is never time to see them all.

Bell Rock ©Mary Montague Sikes

We just returned from a week in Sedona. Although I planned to revisit Cathedral Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Tlaquepaque, and more, I didn't get to them. We drove by Bell Rock many times and felt the remarkable energy of that formation. We dined at Miley's where a huge new painting of Bell Rock dominates. We feasted on seafood omelets at the Golden Goose and enjoyed lunch at Shugrues above the Hillside shops. And we spent a lot of time with art.

Art and the energy are what drew us to Sedona the first time. During a two week visit a few years ago, I enjoyed a pastel workshop and then took a metaphysical workshop that I found fascinating.

Ever since that early visit, those red rock images have crept into my artwork. Red rocks along with energy have also stolen their way into my writing and my novel, Eagle Rising. 

Something special exists in the timeless landscape of Sedona. Something special pulls us back again and again.

Pastel Painting Workshop - What's Your Favorite Painting Medium?

"Blue Pond" - pastel ©Mary Montague Sikes

On Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., I'm teaching a pastel workshop at This Century Art Gallery Education Center. I would love to work with any of you in the Williamsburg, Virginia area who are interested in learning more about this wonderful and direct drawing/painting medium. For artists of all levels, this is an opportunity to develop your skills while meeting others with similar interests.

From the first moment I discovered pastels, I was hooked. I admired the works of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. Whenever I see a pastel painting in an art show, I am immediately drawn to it.

What is your favorite painting medium? Do you have more than one that you especially like?