Davenport Beach at Sunset

Davenport Beach at Sunset

original oil painting, 11x14 $550

Elliott Fouts Gallery

I'm in a group show called Hello, Summer! at Elliott Fouts Gallery, June 4 - July 1.  It includes many new paintings of Santa Cruz, surfboards, VW vans, beach volleyball and all things summer. The oil painting "Davenport Beach at Sunset" is in the show.  The cliffs at Davenport are some of the most spectacular rock formations north of Santa Cruz and nothing warms up a scene like the light at sunset.  Stop by the gallery to see the group show.  

Giant Dipper, Santa Cruz

Giant Dipper, Santa Cruz

original oil painting, 12x12 SOLD

Elliott Fouts Gallery

This is my fourth painting of the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is advertised everywhere during the summer in the Bay Area and it's a fun subject to paint.

The Giant Dipper above is a red and white, 1920s wooden roller coaster. It's a fan favorite, located on the beach with an unobstructed view of the ocean. 

I always look for some bold colors to make a strong composition. However, an amusement park has too much bright color and too much stuff. So I have to make decisions about toning down the color, harmonizing the color and simplifying the shapes. To suggest the atmospheric conditions of fog at the beach, in the background I added a little pink, yellow and pale blue color to the sky. Overall, I try to paint the shapes of color as I see them with tonal variations to suggest depth.  

Longboard Line Up

Longboard Line Up

original oil painting, 12x12, SOLD

Elliott Fouts Gallery

A group of vintage longboards, lined up on the sand, before a surf competition in Santa Cruz. A classic longboard is the most traditional surfboard shape. Surfers originally rode longboards in the 1950s and 1960s in Malibu and Waikiki. They typically range from 8 feet to 12 feet in length. 

Painting surf boards is a challenge, similar to painting a portrait of a face. Everything is symmetrical and every surfboard is different.  There's a stringer, a thin strip of wood that runs down the middle of the surfboard and increases the strength and rigidity of the board. The front of the board is called the nose and the back section is the tail.. The fins are positioned inside a fin box in the tail and come in many different shapes and sizes.  The sides of the surfboard are called rails and vary in thickness according to the design.

The most complicated variable of the surfboard is the rocker. The rocker is the curvature of the surfboard in profile. It has been labeled as the single most important design element in a surfboard. It is a complex combination of compound curves. The rocker certainly complicates a painting of a surfboard!

Cliffs at the Hook, Santa Cruz

Cliffs at the Hook, Santa Cruz

original oil painting, 11x14  $475

Viewpoints Gallery

The cliffs in Santa Cruz at the Hook - at the end of 41st Avenue on a sunny day. An angle from the beach, usually I paint from above.

Boardwalk at Night, Santa Cruz

Boardwalk at Night

original oil painting, SOLD

Elliott Fouts Gallery

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is a seaside amusement park that has been operating since 1907. In my painting you can see the 1924 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, the Boardwalk's most popular ride. The unique location spans a wide sandy beach where it’s not unusual to see otters, dolphins, sea lions and even whales.

I was interested in the light and colors at night at the amusement park. As the sun was setting, the neon signs and lights contrasted with the evening shadows. There were hints of purple and yellow in the clouds reflecting the sun setting in the sky.

Shark Fin Cove, Davenport

Shark Fin Cove, Davenport

original oil painting, 6x6, SOLD

Viewpoints Gallery, Sept 2-27

 

The cliffs along the PCH near Davenport are sheer and dramatic in scale.  The color of the water is a mixture of greens and blues that look clear and pure.  This area is called Shark Fin Cove, because one of the rocks looks like a shark's fin, it's on the right edge of the painting.

 

We visited the Bonny Doon tasting room recently, which has excellent wines and a laid back rustic charm. Across the street are views of the ochre cliffs.

Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz

Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz

original oil painting, 8x10
SOLD

I was painting in Santa Cruz the other day, on West Cliff Drive near the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum and lighthouse.  I chose another view but took a photo of Steamer Lane, a famous surfing spot in Santa Cruz.  Steamer Lane has consistent surf and two distinct beautiful waves, add to that a warm, sunny day and there were plenty of surfers in the water.

I chose this composition because of the cast shadows on the cliffs created by the angle of the sun. It is a long drop down from the cliffs to the ocean where the rocky bottom contrasts with the shallow greenish water.   

View of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz

View of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz

original oil painting, 8x10
SOLD

The ocean in Santa Cruz is part of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, some of northern California’s most beautiful shoreline. Along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz are stunning views of the cliffs and the ocean.
  

I was attracted to this particular scene because of the colorful iceplant in the foreground, contrasting with the jagged cliffs against the ocean.  I've used cerulean blue in the painting, although I've found it tricky to integrate into my oil paintings.  Cerulean is a bold, pure pigment that leans toward azure and is often used in skies and reflections on water. I think it works well in this composition of the coastline on a bright fall day.

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.

  

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.