I've used padauk for guitar-building because it's got great tone and appearance, with a couple of caveats.
1. It's HEAVY
2. Although bright red to orange when first cut, it will quickly fade to a nice brown color in the sunlight, somewhere in the range of mahogany or walnut. I don't know of any clear finish that has enough UV inhibitor to prevent the fading.
3. I've left padauk that will be used on a guitar in the sun intentionally so it will bleach to it's final color before finishing.
4. If you wish to enhance the grain or figure in wood before applying a finish, or in this case before applying epoxy, give it a light wash of shellac thinned with denatured alcohol. I usually use just enough shellac to give the alcohol an amber tint. That will really "pop" the grain or figure and won't create an issue for bonding. Here's a link to some blistered myrtly that was given that treatment.
5. So, you may want to see if you've got a chunk or two of light-weight cedar that has some interesting grain pattern and pop it using the shellac. That would make it stand out .