44.  Original Plein Air Watercolor Painting, “Plein Air, 4:30-5:30pm, Pelicans, Seals, Gulls on Goat Rock Beach, 9.11.24”, watercolor, 18 x 24”, 2024

Location: Gualala, CA

Event: Plein Air Gualala

Event Awards: 3rd Place Overall

This painting was the strongest of my Plein Air Gualala work, and one of my favorite pieces of Art Tour 2024. It was a totally fascinating light effect, the fog advancing down from the top of the frame, the different species huddled but even at a huge distance identifiable as seals, pelicans, gulls. As the fog advanced and I lost the chromatic intensity of the blues, I focused on the pattern and optics of the waves, using both the texture of the paper as shorthand but also not being afraid to spend lots of time painting individual waves - it took both in this piece.