Santa Cruz Harbor: Same scene, Different Light

Santa Cruz Harbor sunset  6x12 oil

12x24 Oil Santa Cruz Harbor at sunset

Nature's palette is constantly changing. As the sun sets or rises at Santa Cruz harbor the sight is breathtaking. The effects of the sun setting creates a dramatic, ephemeral image. The water's movement echoes the vibrant colors in the sky. The backlit land forms become silhouetted against nature's canvas.
The lighthouse provides an identifying element to the scene.
Working first in a blue orange harmony, I created the small 6x12 sunset painting. The light on the horizon and overlapping land forms  provide calming horizontals creating a peaceful mood for the painting. The small vertical lighthouse brings the viewer toward the sky and provides a feeling of strength and permanence. This feeling of permanence is repeated  in the land and the repetitive motion of the waves. I liked the contrast of the fleeting light and the permanent elements. The diagonals in the water and the diagonal created by the overlapping forms bring the eye back through the landscape. The 12x24  painting, while similar to the smaller version, adds one more layer of overlapping.  The composition is so naturally created that I plan to paint it again. Next I'll try a different format rather than the panoramic view with more sky lowering the horizon to the lower third level now occupied by the cresting wave. Close ups of the backlit lighthouse are also on my radar. Stay tuned!

Evening tide, Aptos, CA

"Evening Tide"  12x24/oil

My fascination with the ocean has been lifelong. Growing up on the beach, I listened to the waves crashing as I fell asleep at night, smelled the salt air as soon as we got close to home and had the Atlantic shore as my "backyard". I miss it every day, but never stop thinking about it and feel grateful that I was so blessed. I also learned to respect the ocean and it's power. The waves on the Aptos beach were large and loud and only seemed to quiet down when the day ended and the sun was setting. The birds gathered each evening along the shore and there was a kaleidoscope of  different colors each evening. In this painting I chose a blue orange harmony.  I used the water that pooled on the shore to lead the viewers eye through the gulls, back to the surf and beyond to the merging of sea and sky. The long horizontals of the clouds in the sky give a calming effect to contrast with the surf breaking the horizon line and the staccato movement of the birds as they gather on the shoreline. The patches of bright blue sky breaking through the clouds are reflected in the water to unify the painting.

Aptos evening

"Aptos evening"  12x24 oil

My daughter recently moved to Aptos, CA. We drove cross country from VT to CA in January and after seeing many magnificent places along the way, we arrived at her place in Aptos. I felt she had about as perfect a view as anyone could have. The beach in front of her condo is magnificent from the moment the sun starts to rise in the morning until it sets at night. Rain and fog only add another mysterious dimension. Even in the dark the sounds and smells are a sensory delight. This painting is from our very first evening there. We walked to the bottom of the hill and watched the sun set towards Capitola. The birds were all lined up along the beach and the colors were vibrant and constantly changing. It was a different feeling than an Atlantic sunset, each with it's own special beauty. Each night after, the scene would repeat itself in one form or another and I will probably paint a few more while it is still fresh in my head.