Below are some paintings from the Central Coast of California over the last ten days. I was based in Carmel Valley, but moved down the coast quite a bit.
Green Valley, Cambria. 32 x 40 in.
Big Sur. 32 x 40 in., oil on linen.
These first two paintings were quite large so I tied the canvases to the ubiquitous barbed wire fences to keep them steady in the high winds. I picked up a lightweight rope-and-plastic-carabiner combo from Nite Ize at a local camping store and the system worked perfectly.
My set-up in Big Sur.
Rye Grass. 40 x 32 in., oil on linen.
One great thing about painting in the Monterey area is that there is a handful of world-class plein air artists who live there to paint with. On the above painting I worked with John Burton, and the sketch below is of Mark Farina, who we painted with one morning south of Carmel.
Mark Farina painting at Monastery Beach, Carmel. 8 x 12 in.
Hearst Castle Hills. 11 x 14 in., oil on linen.
San Carpoforo Beach. 8 x 12 in., oil on linen.
Cows at Notleys Landing. 8 x 12 in., oil on linen.
I’ve always felt I became a landscape painter because of growing up surrounded by the beauty of California, so it’s great to get back there and paint when I can.
My Folk’s Patio. 8 x 12 in., oil on linen.
Update: We stopped and painted for a bit in Lake Tahoe on our way out of California. Here are a couple images:
Tahoe Princess. 8 x 12 in.
Street in South Lake Tahoe. 8 x 12 in.