14 miles on foot. 2 days and 1 night in the field. 5 new paintings. 1 bodysurfing dear. For real.
A Little Further Out There
Years ago I did some backpacking trips and brought my paint gear to do some paintings on location. I took minimal gear, and tiny little canvas panels. I used regular acrylic paint to dry fast and be able to pack up safely. But working so small with such limited materials is always a bit frustrating and I wanted to do more. So at the start of this year I rebuilt my gear to go further. A lighter palette box with a generous mixing area, a sturdy but light tri-pod, panel carriers to haul wet paintings around in the field. This system proved itself as I hiked all over a few of California's offshore islands painting full 16x20 paintings miles from the nearest signs of civilization. But these were all just day hikes, always returning to the place where I started each day. I still wanted to go further. There's places I want to go that require covering more ground than I can do in a single day, so back in August my wife and I snuck away on a trial run with an overnight trip to a beautiful piece of coast with all my art gear, AND our food, sleeping bags, camp gear etc. My pack was heavy and bursting at the seams, and to be honest, I could not have done this trip without her picking up my slack and carrying the food I couldn't fit in my pack. We went without a tent and slept under the moon and stars, and had an amazing trip. I don't know how often artists paint out here, but I think it's safe to say, they don't often paint at this scale. The logistics are formidable, and while the trip was a success, it proved that I would need at least one willing partner to hike and paint any significant length of coast in this fashion. Maybe I'll redesign for solo trips in the future, but for now enjoy the results of this test run to one of the farther reaches of California.
Out of the Lighthouse and Into the Light
Mileage hiked at this point: 3.2 miles
Medium: Slow-drying Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 16″ x 12″
Price: $550
Early-Bird Deal: $450
Notes:
This piece found me sheltering from a howling morning wind inside of an old decommissioned lighthouse. At several points along our first few miles of hiking I would have loved to stop and paint the various vistas and headlands, but I could always come back and paint them on a day trip, for this trip we wanted to go further. Somewhere along the way we'd missed the trail and walked nearly all 3 miles of this stretch on sand and gravel. This was a nice place to rest our burning legs and given the challenges of painting in the wind, we decided to go ahead and sneak a painting right here from the windblock of these old lighthouse walls. It was kinda like cheating for an outdoor painting since I was effectively indoors, painting the view as it was framed between the doorposts. But still a great way to kick off this painting adventure.
Carry My Body
Mileage hiked at this point: 5.4 miles
Medium: Slow-drying Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 12″ x 12″
Price: $598
Early-Bird Deal: $450
Notes:
It's hard to pass up these landmarks when encountered out in the field. This old shack is in the process of being reclaimed by the earth around it. It's occupants, the life-force of any dwelling, long departed. What remains is the shell carried along by time and entropy, much like our earthen bodies as they are carried to the final resting place after our spirits have departed. But alas, at least for now we are still very much alive and even though our bodies are tired, we are not ready yet for them to be carried by others. That day will come, but let's not rush it. .
Anything But Silent
Mileage hiked at this point: 7.1 miles
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 12″ x 12″
SOLD
Notes:
As my wife slept in the shadows by the creek beside this headland, I stood and faced the moonlight and recorded what the pale white light revealed. It was anything but silent as the roaring surf and gusting wind provided the lively soundtrack. This was our furthest point reached on this trip. There's no leaving this place at high-tide, so at first light we'd head back the way we came taking advantage of the still low tide. This title may or may not also be referring to the manner in which I sleep, which can also be anything but silent- especially when I'm dog tired from hiking and painting all day and into the night. Sorry, honey. I love you!
Punctuation Marks
Mileage hiked at this point: 9.2 miles
Medium: Slow-drying Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20″ x 16″
Price: $826
Early-Bird Deal: $650
Notes:
On our way down the coast on the previous day I made a lot of mental notes for today's paintings. Yesterday was for reconnaissance and smaller, quicker paintings. Today was time to get to work on some larger vistas. This was a scene that really struck me the day before. A sweeping view, punctuated by triple exclamation points in the solitary yucca, the jutting rock by the trail, and the old lighthouse barely visible in the distance. In the strong morning wind, I set about painting this larger 20" x 16" on location from this steep bluff beside the trail, carefully dodging poison oak, and thoughtfully weighting down every element of my supplies to keep them from blowing over the edge. I'd seen this spot in the afternoon light the day before, but had no idea what a treat it would be to paint here now. There is something so good and right about a crisp morning light.
Drink Up
Mileage hiked at this point: 10.4 miles
Medium: Slow-drying Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20″ x 16″
Price: $851
Early-Bird Deal: $650
Notes:
The final panting of this trip. To keep our packs as light as we could (since I was carrying an entire studio) we carried little water with us- just enough to get to our next destination point and keeping our eyes out for water sources along the way. We brought a small filter and there's lots of creeks that flow on this rugged coast year round, so we knew we wouldn't have much trouble. This proved to be a perfect creek to drink up and refill after a long morning of painting and getting dried out in the now hot wind. It was also just enough of a bend in the coast that it didn't face the full force of the wind and we opted to stop again for one more large painting before hiking the final 4 miles back to the car.
POST-EDIT
I can't say enough about my amazing wife who made these paintings possible by her patience, and willingness to carry a little (or a lot) more than she would have needed if I wasn't packing all this art and supplies along. Truly a team effort. She's the best.
We're hoping to do more of these trips in the years to come, so stay tuned.
If You're in Humboldt...
... and if you want to see these paintings in person, I'll be showing them at my gallery in Eureka on Friday the 13th from 6-8pm. We'll provide trail mix and an ice chest with cold beers.
We'll also have a large studio commission we'll be unveiling as well, so it's a good chance to see a rare large format new original from our local coast before it goes to it's home. And of course we'll have a full stock of limited edition canvas prints for as low as $95 each that are always popular as gifts at this time of year.
GET DIRECTIONS HERE
We hope you can make it!
And Yes, A Bodysurfing Deer for your Amusement
I can't seem to embed a video in this email, but check it here:
https://youtu.be/zyLBVdOWs48
At first we thought this deer might be in trouble as we saw it getting pushed around in the shorepound out in front of us, but we soon realized it was riding these surges up the beach and running back in for more every time. We watched it bodysurf its way across the beach and right off into the distance. Apologies for the bad video, we were in such awe that I'm surprised I even managed to get this clip. Hope this wasn't one of Santa's, he was definitely heading south. I guess that's what he gets for hiring surfer labor.
Joking aside, I've just learned that deer in these parts often play in the surf and it is thought they are doing so to remove ticks and parasites. That makes a world of sense. And come to think of it, I may be able to make use of that excuse for myself too, so there is that.
And that's it.
If any of those paintings are calling you, let me know as soon as you can. You guys are among the very first to see these pieces, but it's first come, first serve at this point, and sometimes they do go quick. I never really know.
As always, thank you for supporting art. It always blows my mind that amongst all of the amazing things that compete for your attention, that you guys actually value art enough to make owning it and enjoying it an intentional part of your lives. THANK YOU!
And if I don't see you before then, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, merry Christmas, happy New Year, excellent Thursday, and all that.
Cheers!
Matt