I live in Redondo Beach in Southern California. My house is very close to the beach so I can't help but be inspired by the Pacific Ocean and the South Bay beaches.
This is me and my daughter standing in front of the Pacific for the first time, 5 years ago! We kept screaming like idiots as we were alarmed by the waves. My daughter loves swimming in the ocean now - I'm still terrified but I do it because I love the feeling of exhilaration!
The beach and ocean really are both calming and exhilarating and I am enthralled by the changing colors of the water. But I never feel inspired to just paint sky and water - I am always drawn to structures.
'Ave B'
'Misty Pier'
With these structures I love the negative spaces and I like the way I can play with colors within these spaces. I also like the way I can play with angles or views or perspectives. The piers and lifeguard towers are incredibly common subjects for artworks but I like to feel I bring a uniqueness with my style of painting and unusual color choices and angles.
'Californian Coastal Sunset'
'End of the Day'
I am constantly grateful that I am able to live so close to the ocean (though my friends do hear me complain about the mess of sand and the sun being too hot!) My family and I have had many wonderful days on the beach or cycling along by the ocean and we have enjoyed some amazing sunsets.
These colors just make me want to grab a paintbrush! So I'm off to paint and I will see you next week.
Thanks for reading,
Alison