While some artists paint "en plein aire" or outdoors, most of my paintings begin from photography. I like to take my time hiking around the coastline, capturing different angles of a space and soaking up the colors and textures.
Once I'm back home, I'll go through my photos and create a look-book of my favorite shots. I love editing in Adobe Lightroom in order to create a cohesive color palette across the images. Lately, I've gravitated towards warm and subdued tones, with deep blues and high contrast.
Though watercolors will always be my first love, since moving to California, I've been dabbling with photography as a creative outlet. Each photo is uniquely composed, but when compiled, they tell a story.
These photos are from a trip last November to the California Central Coast. The landscapes of Big Sur State Park are captivating in any season and this week of moody fall days was just what my creative soul was craving.
On this particular road trip, my husband and I stopped through the cozy coastal town of Cambria for a night of camping, just at the southern end of Big Sur. We jokingly refer to the Elephant Seal vista point as my happy place because I cannot help but feel overjoyed watching the seals roll around in the sand. At this time of the year, the adolescent males were dueling each other, which made for an exciting show in the surf!
We then made our way up to the Monterey Peninsula to visit family. Unfortunately, Highway 1 is still closed along the Big Sur coast, so we routed through the Salinas Valley, which is flanked by vineyards and oak trees most of the drive. The week consisted of chilly surf sessions, glasses of Pinot Noir, and exploring the coves of Garrapata State Park. Each trip to the Central Coast never disappoints and always leaves me longing for my next opportunity to wander along the dramatic shorelines.
Here's to discovering more creative passions and more storytelling in 2024.
-Kirsten
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