Cueva Valdez - A Plein Air Coastal California Landscape

	Cueva Valdez © Marian Fortunati 9"x12" Oil on RayMar Panel
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On the third morning of our fabulous Channel Islands Adventure, I woke up at 6:00 at Cueva Valdez Anchorage (Santa Cruz Island),  staggered up the steps to the deck and got out my gear to paint the sunrise.   (See previous post.)

Later, after breakfast, I painted again while looking at the cliffs of Cueva Valdez from the top deck of the boat.   I was trying to paint something that was not the same as everything else.  -  Something with a slightly different perspective, perhaps.  I was looking for something in the all around beautiful scenery which stood out as unique.  Finding the "something different" or looking at a scene differently has long been one of my challenges.   I tend toward "postcard" art.  

Tiny kayaks and long shadows		Looking down to where other artists painted.

Although this is not a TOTALLY unique view, I cropped down the "postcard" scene to focus on the cliff colors as they contrasted with the water colors.  It was fun.   This 9x12 was an attempt to capture the beauty of the orange and buff cliffs with a golden shaped rock and a little bit of turquoise and white at the edge of the rocks.   The water reflected the colors of the cliffsides and the light danced across the waves.

It was just another glorious day off of Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park.  Thank you, David Gallup, for providing us all with this unique opportunity... and with your great lessons.

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