The Art of Surprise:
One of the greatest honors of making art is getting to be part of surprise.
This painting of Manhattan Beach, CA was a surprise commission this past holiday season, from one spouse to another to commemorate a place special to them.
In going on location to scout for a composition, it was how the waves rolled in that captured my attention over and over. It became almost addictive to watch for the next one.
It’s a marvel how two waves are never the same.
Behind the Scenes:
I spent six days returning to the pier to take photographs, watch the waves and be in the energy of the area by day and night.
There is a romance to the feeling of the pier at night, a stillness that magnifies the sound of the waves.
One of the best ways to be present in a place is to sketch as it requires the mind to slow down and see details in real time. Even if those details don’t become part of the painting visually, the observation of them influences the process.
I watched families who had their portraits taken under the pier, sand castles being built and destroyed, and young surfers determined to catch the smallest of waves.
I watched the surfers fall down again and again…some of them never caught a wave yet they got back up and kept going with their pursuits.
Lifeguards busted people who attempted to swim near the pier and a sea lion kept surfing through the waves.
Right when I wished for more surface to spread out my supplies, a woman walked by selling beach blankets.
I made sketches from two directions.
A seagull set up his guard duty station next to me and stayed the entire time I worked on the watercolor from the north.
For anyone who loves Manhattan Beach, the original watercolor from the south view as seen above and below is available for purchase.
