18×24″ oil on linen– What I love about the Big Sur coast is how much edge there is. The fractal canyons and bays and multitude of islands make for an enchanted scene. There are so many folds for the ocean to peak into, for light to cling to and to hide secret shady coves. We got here just in time to catch those transparent cliff shadows still extending into the sea.
This is painting paradise for me. It is actually so beautiful it is dangerous… big cliffs and unbelievable views combined. My knee is all skinned up from walking around on wet rocks with my eyes up on the view. The design possibilities are endless here… every few feet I want to start a new canvas.
The Sea’s Sculpture–El Matador State Beach– 12×24 oil on linen panel
I love the ocean’s rock sculptures, carved by centuries of erosion, that are arranged on El Matador State Beach… I’m guessing the beach is named because this big one looks like an enormous bull charging out of the surf? The bull’s back is a big elevated garden on stilts for the gulls to look down on their beach from.
This second painting was painted from high up on the ridge above Corral Canyon looking out towards Point Dume. There’s nothing more fun than hiking on a trail I’ve never been on before or painting a beautiful view for the first time.
Corral Canyon to Point Dume– 12×16″ oil on linen panel
Poppies are popping up in the meadow at the SB Botanic Gardens and even through a mask you can smell spring in the air. Valentines day is coming and the birds and the bees are doing what the birds and the bees do. Hopefully we can squeeze a little more rain from some passing clouds before the calendar pages slip through our fingers.
Portrait of Santa Barbara– 8×16″ oil on linen panel– $500
Creek Sounds– 12×16″ oil on linen panel– Do you know what time of year it is? Duck season? Wabbit season? No… it’s creek painting season! (If you are under thirty you probably missed that reference… sorry). It is so nice to hear all the echoing watery sounds reverberating through the canyons– I love to paint creeks! It is also the season when I get to use more shades of the color green here in Santa Barbara where the summer and fall palette is more in shades of tan and gold. I hope you all are finding some time to play outdoors!
Creek Sounds– 12×16″ oil on linen panel– $750Creek Light in Progress…
It’s been a while since I’ve made a painting this big. Lauren and I went hiking a couple weekends ago to search out a vista with enough space to fill a big canvas. When we came around this corner of the McMenemy trail I knew I had my view. The tide was high so the Carpinteria Salt Marsh was full of water you can see in the distance. I think the furthest point is Point Mugu. Personally, I just like to mentally climb the rocks in the foreground.
I hiked the Bill Wallace trail loop above El Cap recently… the views are spectacular if you’ve never been. I could see the whole coastline practically to Ventura. Here is a 6×8″ painting I made along the way. The topmost point reaching out is Devereux, Coal Oil point. #pleinairpainting #kevingleasonart #landscapepainting #billwallacetrail #elcapitanstatebeach #santabarbara
This is the stunning cliff face looking up the coast towards Driftwood’s Beach. Yes, I took out the oil pier– it is only a matter of time before we get over our oil dependence, right? The higher tides pounding on the cliffs are knocking on the door telling us it is time…
These are the subjects of some of my recent paintings. I have been enjoying the challenge of creating a paintings every day for the month of September. If you want to see all of them, they can be found here on Instagram. I’ll share brief stories about each one below.
Fishing since 1929– 12×16″ oil on panel
When I asked the Captain of the Sal-C if his boat was going to be parked for a while so I could paint it, he joked, “I painted it last week!” It is an awesome fishing boat that I learned has been out fishing in the Santa Barbara Channel for 91 years.
The Dragon’s Back– 8×16″ oil on linen panel– $500
My favorite feature of our local mountains is Arlington and Cathedral Peaks, the rocks on which can be interpreted as an immense sleeping dragon.
Goleta Beach Gull– 6×8″ oil on panel– $180
Part of painting every day is sometimes having to squeeze in a quick session into a busy life. Often I don’t have time to be picky about a scene, but just pull out the easel and take what nature throws at this me. If I’m lucky, the wildlife cooperate.
I committed myself to the challenge of making a painting a day for the month of September. Each day I’ve been heading out and working on a variety of sizes depending upon the amount of time and energy I have left in me. (I’m not posting them all here because I don’t want to overwhelm people’s inboxes, but if you’d like to see them all they are on my Instagram and Facebook Artist pages.).
I’m hoping that the experience will take my technique to a new level. Already I’m seeing things a little differently and addressing canvases with a looser, more cavalier style. I always tell my students that there aren’t many things like painting that you can do your entire life and continue to improve. And just when you think you’ve figured it all out, the next day you are thrown for a loop and feel like a beginner again. Painting is a constant challenge and joy.
Ain’t no Place Better– 12×24″ oil on panel–$800Mesa Lane Atmosphere– 12×16″ oil on linen panel– $750