From the last two weeks of abstract coastal art prints, I thought I would keep with the same general subject (coastal and ironically same coastal area), but a completely different visual venue. This week I am featuring two of my newest prints I created using a soft watercolor style. The location is the same; the coastline of Carlsbad, California in northern San Diego County. The perspective is from the same general area but one print is looking south and the other print looking north. The San Diego coastline is beautiful all the way from the southern tip on the border to Mexico running north to Camp Pendleton and Orange County.
The perspective of the first one is looking south from Carlsbad down towards San Diego proper. The bluffs are stunning as they frame the beach and the surf.
The second print is almost liking turning around and looking north along the coastline. The bluffs are still there, but not as dramatic. The beach and the surf take your eyes up towards Oceanside and Camp Pendleton.
This weeks blog has a number of pictures attached to it. I’ve been asked a number of times about the process I go through creating the digital art you see posted. Almost everything starts with a photoshoot. (I do create art prints digitally from scratch, but this post is about an example of creating from a photoshoot)
For this example I am using a photoshoot I did in January of 2011. The setting is a sunset over the Pacific Ocean taken from the balcony off of our bedroom overlooking the coastline of Carlsbad, California (Northern San Diego County). This is the house we raised our girls in and we lived there for almost 20 years. The house was at the end of a cul de sac in a neighborhood that was located on top of a ridge 3 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. To the immediate west of our neighborhood/property was a field owned by the Carlsbad Water District. The importance of that was that it was never going to be built on and offered an unobstructed view all the way down to the coast. I give that background because of this photoshoot. In all the years we lived there, this sunset was an exception to the rule and was only seen a few times. For this type of sunset, there must be high level clouds and an unobstructed view. We had the view at all times, but during the spring, summer and fall months it was more typical to have a marine layer come ashore late afternoon into the night. The marine layer typically was low level clouds (not fog), that hid most sunsets over the ocean. The only time we actually had clear skies at sunset was in the winter as the marine layer was less common. The high level clouds were also a rarity in this area preventing this type of a colorful sunset. On this particular day, we started to see the colors burst forth in our backyard. I immediately clued into what was happening and grabbed my camera, ran upstairs to our bedroom and the balcony. I have attached 8 of the 18 shots I took that day a number of them were redundant and the rest were poor shots looking towards the extreme south and north.
Balcony Sunset 1
This was the first capture I took using my telephoto lens focusing on the immediate west.
Balcony Sunset 2
I zoomed in a little more. The building you see with the “smoke stack” is a coastal power plant that was built quite awhile ago as a coal burning facility. It was converted to gas years ago and today the smoke stack has been removed.
Balcony Sunset 3
This shot is without extending the telephoto lens and is the view we had with the naked eye.
Balcony Sunset 4
Zooming in just south of the power plant capturing more of the clouds.
Balcony Sunset 5
Lowering the framing slightly.
Balcony Sunset 6
Zooming back towards the power plant…
Balcony Sunset 7
Pulling back on the telephoto to capture more of the clouds as the colors are deepening.
Balcony Sunset 8
Pulling back on the telephoto to capture a widening shot. These were the captures I narrowed it down to creating the art prints that follow.
These two shots were cropped and a subtle digital watercolor overlay to highlight the orange tones. Also I removed the smoke stack from the power plant (not knowing it was going to be removed in reality but not until 2020).
Using the same impasto style on this one, but using one of the photos that had blue sky showing such as Balcony Sunset 1.
These five prints from this photoshoot were created after experimenting with cropping of the captured scene and then the different art styles. This gives you a taste of the process using a photoshoot with a singular subject matter. Multiply it by number of subject matters on a more intense photoshoot.
The attached art prints are of a couple of life guard stations on the South Carlsbad State Beach during the winter months. Carlsbad, California is in the northern part of San Diego County. Beach traffic is lighter during these cooler months and the life guard stations are open during peak hours only. I thought this look was interesting and decided to use a pointillism technique in creating these prints.
Pointillism is a painting technique that uses dots of paint to create an image. The technique was created in 1886 stemming from Impressionism style of painting. For more information: Wikipedia – Pointiliism.
I like using this style on certain scenes or subject matters as it creates a very soft and subtle look. The empty beach and the closed guard stations seemed like a great fit for this type of style.
This is a daily reminder to myself. Live your life in the present moment. Sounds easy enough, but how often do we find our minds dwelling on the past? The “what ifs” of life. If only I had done this or said that. Dwelling on the past robs you of the present moment. The past can’t be changed. We can learn from it, but it’s the past. It’s over and done.
Or how often do our minds start dwelling and worrying about the future? What if “this happens”? How will I handle it? What will I do?
In both cases, you have just ignored “the present”. The past is old news and can’t be changed. The future hasn’t happened and all of the worry in the world can’t change it.
As I said, I remind myself of this daily to embrace what is happening at the present moment and to not let it slip by without embracing and enjoying it. If the present moment is that painful, I have faith that it will become “the past” before it consumes me.
The photograph is a sunset over the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad, California near where we use to live.
Thoughts?
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The attached capture of a Pacific Ocean sunset is from Carlsbad, California. The coastal location of this capture was just a few miles west of where we lived for 24 years raising our family. It’s located in north San Diego County. Having been gone from area since 2013, my wife and I spent a week on the coast last October and this was one of the sunsets we were treated with.
I wanted to share the process I go through when one of my photographs or art prints inspires me to add an inspirational thought.
The first capture is the original one which shows the relationship between the coastal bluff and the sunset.
As I thought about using this as a basis for a print with an inspirational thought, I cropped the original shot eliminating the coastal bluff with the exception of the top of plant on that bluff. My next step was working with the message I had chosen, playing with putting it on the photograph using various fonts and font sizes. Upon finalizing (this process sounds simple, but trust me….I tend to turn it into a lengthy process trying a variety of fonts and sizes) this aspect, I then play with positioning. Positioning is another process of centering, not centering…splitting the verbiage up or keep it in one line, etc.
In staying with the subject matter of lasts weeks post about our week in San Diego County, I have attached four pictures that tell the weather story of the week. The beginning of the week started with storm clouds and dreary weather. There was what was left of a hurricane and now a tropical depression to the west of the Baja in Mexico that was changing course and heading towards the Baja Peninsula and eventually the Desert Southwest of the US grazing Southern California in the process. Having lived in San Diego for over 24 years and then Arizona for the last 5, not anything unusual and actually kind of welcome rain for the desert. This particular storm brought drizzle and light rain to the San Diego area and multiple inches of rain to Arizona. Having said all of that, it moved quickly and I was able to get some before and after pictures along the beach where we were staying. The pictures present two totally different aspects of beach life in San Diego County.
The first two say to me….”beach season over”…”pack it up and get the heck inside”. The clouds give such an ominous look to the coastline. Both shots are looking southward towards the city of San Diego.
Storm Clouds Coastal San Diego County 1
Storm Clouds Coastal San Diego County 2
Then just a couple of days later, I took the following two pictures.
After spending the month of September unpacking (yes, we have a lot of stuff), my wife and I took an R&R and spent last week at the beach in San Diego County. We had a place in Carlsbad where we stayed with a fabulous ocean view. I have attached two shots I took of two separate sunsets.
The lighting obviously is different between 1 and 2 with the first sunset captured as the sun emerged from behind a cloud versus the second sunset which was taken as dusk had settled in and the last sliver of the sun was ready to slip below the horizon
Having lived and raised our family in San Diego County for 24 years, we spent the week catching up with old friends, former co-workers and employees. My sister and her husband also live in the county, so was great spending time with them. It dawned on us that we did have an ocean view from our house (albeit 3.5 miles inland), but nothing compares to having the ocean at your door step so to speak. Was fun sleeping at night listening the sound of the surf and getting up each morning with surfers flocking to the beach to catch some waves before starting their day.
We left almost 6 years ago and have been back a couple of times for family functions with my sister, but it just felt calming being back in the “hood” where we had lived so long. I will be sharing a number of shots from that week over the next few.
For those of you geographically curious, you probably know San Diego lies south of Los Angeles (120 miles) and is adjacent to the Mexican border. What you may not know is that it’s the 8th largest city in the United States and the 2nd largest city in California. That last fact surprises most people as they assume San Francisco is. The Bay Area surpasses the metropolitan area of San Diego by a long shot, but San Francisco (the city of) doesn’t encompass the population you would think. The county itself follows the Pacific Coastline on the west and includes a mountain range on the east. The city proper encompasses a large portion of the county but there are numerous towns along the coastline going north to Camp Pendelton such as Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside and then inland along the northern tier.
One more fun fact: San Diego Bay is the site of the first European setting foot on what is now known as the West Coast of The United States.
Thoughts?
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Carlsbad, California is located in North San Diego County – north of the city of San Diego proper. It sits along the coastline and the village center is just blocks from the beach. This particular setting is just south of the village center where there is a walkway along the coast just above the beach (notice the fence as it lines the walkway above the beach). To get down to the beach there are long stairs scattered periodically for access. I have a number of art prints done in various styles from this setting. What I wanted to feature today was this particular print I did using more subtle earth tones instead of bright vibrant colors. It creates a different visual experience and supports a more relaxed mood with the setting sun. I used the same technique I talked about last week (impasto) to create the thick bold brush strokes.
My last post was focused on capturing the beauty of a sunrise. This post focuses on the beauty of a sunset. Just by chance, I had just added some new art prints to my Abstract Oil Gallery. I had just finished with a series of abstract sunsets and I chose to feature one of them titled “Pacific Sunset”. This is an art print done in an impasto oil style, which is known for large bold brush strokes and bold colors.
The setting is a sunset over the Pacific Ocean along the coastline in Carlsbad, California, which is located in the northern part of San Diego County. I tried to capture the essence of the explosion of color that occurs during spectacular sunsets. In this rendition, I focused on the blues, reds, oranges and golden hues of the sky after the sun has slipped below the horizon. The colors change so rapidly and wanted to present the sky as the light starts to fade and the dark night sky creeps in. I put this print in my Abstract Gallery because of the bold shapes and color that were used to create the full picture. The dramatic color and large brush strokes steal the attention, but to add a little balance, I pull your attention to the specific detail I captured along the horizon of the land. This helps to delineate between the land, ocean and sky. You see just a small sliver of ocean reflecting the colors from the clouds. Thoughts?
I invite you to come into the gallery to view the addition of Christmas Cards to the collection in Abstract Oil Gallery
Please visit my main gallery: TheWallGallery (All domestic orders over $60.00 – free shipping!)
I love sunsets, especially those that light up the sky with vivid colors. The clouds and the sun have to be just right and when it is, it’s colorful magic in the sky. As you watch the hues build into brilliant shades of orange, pink and purple, you think it couldn’t get any better, but wait…it does! The art print I am featuring today celebrates just such a sunset. I chose “ Ocean Sunset Between Two Palm Trees” from my Tropical Collection. This particular art print is a sunset over the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad, California. Located in northern San Diego County. The city is known for its beaches and seaside flavor. Along the Pacific Coast Highway is a walkway on a bluff above the beach in this part of town. The print depicts a sunset along the walkway as the sun is setting between two palm trees. I used an abstract watercolor technique to pull out the vivid colors with the shapes as suggestions. Using an abstract approach creates different elements to a print. The abstract aspect is typically less dependent on detail and more on shapes and colors. You can create an art print of the same scene in a traditional oil style and an abstract style and come up with two completely different looks. I have examples of that throughout my galleries. I can see a scene in a variety of ways and present it as such throughout the galleries. I recognize that abstract prints are not everyone’s “cup of tea”, for example; my wife likes more realism and I prefer abstract. To me, it’s “what does an art print say to you”. I create both types knowing that tastes vary. At the end of the day….just enjoy the sunset! Thoughts?
I invite you to come into the gallery to view the collection in Tropical.
Please visit my main gallery: TheWallGallery (All domestic orders over $60.00 – free shipping!)
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