maybe it's a sign

Still Lake, mixed media on birch panel, 10 x 10 inches. Sides have been stained and sealed.

Oceanside, mixed media on birch panel, 8 x 10 inches.

Canyon River, mixed media on panel, 12 x 16 inches.

Four new paintings of mine just arrived in London for Lilk Gallery's May show.  Three of the works are inspired by places I've visited.  Oceanside, for example, is named after a small beach town in Oregon.  Canyon River is unique from the others, because it came from my imagination rather than an experience.  I had this image in my head of a canyon with red walls and a clear river cutting through it.  It stood out to me because I usually paint scenes from the pacific northwest.
I've been to the southwest a few times, but this imagery didn't emerge from a memory.  The colors and even the slope of the rock walls are different from the canyons I've explored.  
I created this painting before planning a trip to Arizona, so maybe it's a sign.  I am headed to Sedona, which is famously known for red rock formations.  It's also considered a very spiritual place.  My friend mentioned there are several different "vortex" sites- places where the earth's energy is greater.  I guess some folks have had some very moving experiences in these places.
I'm not sure what I think about this vortex stuff, but I don't doubt that people have spiritual encounters in nature.  When you are surrounded by grand, sweeping landscapes- and man had nothing to do with its creation- it seems only natural that one would reflect on things that transcend us.  I definitely feel closer to God when I am in nature.