Red Van on Opal Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz

Red VW Van, Santa Cruz

original oil painting, 8x10 SOLD

I can't resist painting old Volkswagen vans. I ride my bike past this little yellow house and red van on the weekends on my way to Capitola.  It's at the corner of Opal Cliff Drive and Court Drive in Santa Cruz.  They had this old red van which I really liked, but recently they got a newer red van.  Luckily I got a photo with the old van on a day with wispy cloud formations in the sky.

  

Poli Street 3, Ventura

Poli Street 3, Ventura

original oil painting, 16x20  SOLD

available at the Buenaventura Gallery, Sept 11 - Oct 6

Reception: Saturday, September 15, 4:00 - 7:00 pm

The painting in this view is from the corner of Poli Street and North Catalina Street.  The street is lined with old Mexican fan palms, queen palms and 1920s Spanish style houses.  Ventura High School, which was directly behind me, casts a big shadow in the foreground.

Chill Out Cafe, Santa Cruz

Chill Out Cafe, Santa Cruz

original oil painting, 10x8 SOLD

available at the Buenaventura Gallery, Sept 11 - Oct 6
Reception: Saturday, Sept 15, 4:00 - 7:00pm

The Chill Out Cafe is on 41st Avenue in Santa Cruz.  It's a charming Santa Cruz hangout, full of locals eating breakfast burritos.  I've wanted to paint the building for a while because of the barn red color and it's popularity among surfers.
  

Lagoon at Hendry's Beach, Santa Barbara

Lagoon at Hendry's Beach, Santa Barbara

original oil painting, 10x8

SOLD

In March, Chris Beirne and I painted together in Southern California.  I asked Chris to find a place to paint with big cliffs, along the ocean. Chris picked Hendry's Beach in Santa Barbara and suggested that we paint at sunset. It was unusally warm and sunny, which meant the beach was packed with people, not the best situation for plein air painting.   

When I returned home, I painted the scene above. It's funny that I ended up painting the lagoon instead of the cliffs.  I was attracted to the reflections on the pond, the green in the hills and the vertical compositional elements of the fan palms.  You can see the long shadows from the setting sun.