Sunset Promenade

Here is a painting I did for a special exhibit at Crystal Cove later this month. The theme of the show is "Past and Present". It's the third I've done for this special one day event, but because I sold the other two, I took this one down to be in the gallery right away.

I did this from a study I did there the very end of January. As I looked up the coast I could see a long line of people enjoying every last minute out on the beach before the sun set. Their figures disappeared into the sea-misty atmosphere and the fence in front of me just glowed in the rosy light. It was a beautiful afternoon to be there.

Lemons in a Bag

I'm back with a new bag of lemons. I'm bound and determined to figure out how to capture this just the way I want. So, expect a lot more. To bid on this painting, click here.

Past and Present

Here is the second painting I've done for the March Show at Crystal Cove. I've called it Past and Present, because even though the "Beaches" Cottage is renovated with a new, (not as charming as the old one), fence the moment I wanted to capture belongs to the past as well.

We can all remember moments on the beach when the sun is just minutes away from dropping below the horizon and we are trying to squeeze the last beautiful seconds of the long day down on the beach. 

Just Can't Say Goodbye

In March, the Crystal Cove Gallery will be hosting a short, themed show of paintings done to reflect the past and present of the cottages. In the past, the newly restored cottages looked so lived in, with their funny angles and whimsical paint jobs and landscaping, whereas now they are so correct... all right angles and shiny one-note paint jobs. However, the cottages at the north end of the cove, once lived in and cared for, have fallen from their quirky attractiveness into tottering old ruins, not charmingly eccentric anymore, just sad and disintegrating.

So here is the first of the three paintings I've done so far for this exhibit. This first one is of my favorite subject there, the garages as they used to look, ramshackle and faded.

This painting will be on sale mid March at the Crystal Cove Gallery

Aubergine & Tomato

Here is the dinner I had a couple of nights ago...roasted eggplant and tomato. Delicious.

Eggplants are so beautiful to paint, deeply colored, reflecting like satin any light shining on them. To bid on this painting click here.

Study in Yellow

I've been looking at these lemons in the bag for days and just had to paint it. I imagined over and over how to handle it, but it was still really hard. I love how the light affects the lemons through the coarse weave, and how there are specular highlights too. So more to come, though I'll have to buy more lemons, these are as hard as rocks after sitting up in my studio waiting to inspire me. To bid on this painting, click here

Bird's Eye View

Here is a painting I did of the rocks and the sea down at Crystal Cove. It's hanging in the gallery there now and can be purchased there or through me. I hadn't done a rock and sea thing for awhile, so thought it was time. The hardest part though is getting those birds to sit still!

Winter Afternoon at Moro Cove

I didn't mention on the last post, that the person who bought the overview painting of Crystal Cove, bought this one too! Pretty amazing. Anyway, this one is a favorite of mine too. I loved being there with only a few people on the beach. Up until a few years ago, there was a sort of trailer park there that had been there for years. I don't really know the background of how long they had been there, but what an amazing place to live! Right on the beach like that. To the left of this image, the beach only goes for maybe another 50 yards at most before a cliff rises up to where Coast Highway makes it's way along the coast to Laguna Beach.

Afternoon Walk

Here is a painting I did for the Crystal Cove Alliance, to hang in their gift shop at Crystal Cove State Park. I was lucky enough to be invited to be a permanent exhibitor for 2012. I'm even more pleased to announce that it sold after just over a week in the gallery!
I love every view of the cove, but this was a departure for me. I had always wanted to paint an overview and am thrilled someone thought enough of it to buy it.

Mandarin Orange

One of my favorite subjects to paint, not to mention eat...
If you would like to bid on this painting please click here.