Zion Tree and Beehive, Painting #8 of the Cathedrals of Light Series painted in Zion National Park

Original Oil Painting | 11 x 14 Inches

Cathedrals of Light Series

Bring the luminous beauty of Southern Utah into your home with "Zion Tree and Beehive," an original 11x14 oil painting created on wood panel as part of my ongoing Cathedrals of Light series.

Zion Tree and Beehive was painted on location in Zion National Park during a three-week painting residency in Southern Utah. This painting captures a unique willow tree with a canyon backdrop. One of the spires on top of the canyon is named Beehive due to its resemblance to the mascot of the state of Utah. In this painting, I chose to manifest my inner Impressionist by using loose and more interpretive brush strokes. The sky that day took on a magnificent hue of violet that you can see at the top of the painting. It was a joy to paint in this inspiring landscape.

Part of the Cathedrals of Light series, this painting celebrates those moments when landscapes inspire and transform. This National Park is truly a place of wonder, contemplation, and renewal.

Whether displayed in a home, office, mountain retreat, or collected as a memory of a visit to Zion National Park, Zion Tree and Beehive brings the beauty of the American Southwest indoors.

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Details

• Title: Zion Tree and Beehive
• Medium: Oil on Wood Panel
• Size: 11 x 14 inches
• Support: Cradled Wood Panel
• Series: Cathedrals of Light
• Artist: Scott Michael Raynor
• Signed: Yes, front and back
• Original Artwork

Perfect For

• Zion National Park enthusiasts
• Southwest landscape collectors
• Lovers of plein air painting
• National park art collectors
• Mountain homes and cabins
• Travelers who cherish memories of Utah
• Collectors of contemporary landscape painting

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Artist Statement

During a three-week painting residency in Southern Utah, I carried my easel into Zion National Park to capture the extraordinary relationship between stone and light. The massive canyon walls seemed less like geology and more like architecture, they looked like natural cathedrals carved over millions of years that echo the many cathedrals in Europe where I have also drawn and painted. Through the Cathedrals of Light series, I seek to convey the wonder, peace, and reverence I experienced while painting these remarkable landscapes on site.

About the Artist

Scott Raynor is a working artist, educator, and social media content creator whose career spans more than three decades. He earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed additional graduate study at Johnson State University in Vermont. His artistic development has been enriched through prestigious residencies, including the Vermont Studio Center and the Scuola di Ars Grafica in Venice, Italy.

Raynor's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in more than sixty juried and solo exhibitions. Recent venues include the Blue Mountain Gallery in New York City, the San Diego Museum of Art, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. His paintings and drawings have also been exhibited in the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, and China. In addition, he has served as a visiting artist at several universities and has received numerous awards for his work.

A professor of art for more than 28 years, Raynor balances teaching with an active studio practice rooted in direct observation. His paintings range from intimate still lifes and woodland scenes to luminous landscapes inspired by the American Southwest. Through series such as Cathedrals of Light and 100 Paintings in 100 Days, he explores the beauty of ordinary subjects and extraordinary places with expressive brushwork and a deep appreciation for light.

Collectors have acquired more than one hundred of Raynor's original paintings and prints in the past year alone, and his work is held in private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Through his artwork and widely followed educational content on art history and painting, Raynor continues to share his belief that beauty, curiosity, and creativity remain essential parts of everyday life.

Artist: Scott Raynor / RaynorShine Studios