I’d been looking forward to painting this cove for a very long time. Surfing history runs deep here as this was one of the first locations in California to develop a dedicated surfing scene. Doc Ball was shooting water photographs here from atop a wooden surfboard back when they had to build their own water housings for their massive cameras before WWII. Needless to say, much of what we know as surfing culture was birthed on the beach and in the water of this cove.

I had a different view in mind, but the wind. Oh my. The wind. 

Around that corner and all along the outer edge of the path it came howling up the hillside. I get tired of fighting the wind, just as you’ll likely get tired of hearing me complain about it. What can I say? It’s a constant reality when painting these coastal bluffs that pick up every
whisper and turn them into howls.

After a few trips up and down the path, I found a little pocket of gulch to wedge myself into among these dancing spring flowers, and made the most of it.