Artwork Notes | MATT BEARD ART

Headwinds

Plein air artwork the view from Trinidad Head on the Humboldt Coast of Northern California

This is the last painting I recall painting along our local coastline before the summer road trip season kicked in. I had recently rebuilt my painting kit to be lighter and fit on a smaller pack with the ability to carry multiple freshly painted still-wet stretched canvases hands-free on a single outing. This was the […]…

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Morning Gems

Artwork for agate hunters of a pebbly beach at Dry Lagoon on the humboldt coast of northern California

Much like with many of my paintings, there are no humans visible in this piece. To be fair, that’s not much of a stretch here as sunrise on this part of the coast is often a cold and lonely affair. But just because humans aren’t visible, doesn’t mean they aren’t part of these paintings. For […]…

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Sticks and Stones

Plein air artwork from Pebble Beach in Crescent City on the Del Norte coast of Northern California

I had painted this same scene a few months prior, but only focused on the rock stack and ignored the view of the sweeping beach as it arcs its way around this bend in the coast. In the middle of painting this one, a tricky situation arose. My nose just started bleeding randomly. Maybe a […]…

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Southern Vista

Plein air artwork from Grandview Beach on the san Diego coast of southern California

This was painted months before the somewhat recent fatal bluff collapse incident. You can see the warning on the beach here, that circle of boulders isn’t some hippy stonehenge setup, it’s the remainders of a previous collapse. The sand and soil has washed away, leaving just this ring as a reminder of the footprint these […]…

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Marine Layers

Plein air artwork from Asilomar beach near Pacific Grove on the Monterey coast of California

I enjoyed this moody midday painting. Sometimes I go to a place hunting bluebirds and sunshine. In this case all I found was clouds and crows. For real. A friend that lives nearby showed up midway through the painting with some amazing deli sandwiches which we shared by his van up on the road. Halfway […]…

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Tide Falling

Plein air artwork of McWay Falls on the Big Sur Coast of Monterey in Central California

One of the most iconic waterfalls in all of California and one of only two year-round falls in the whole state that land on the beach. This one used to land in the water, but a landslide deposited so much sediment up the coast that the gradual drift of currents built this beach where none […]…

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Some Things Money Just Can’t Buy

Plein air artwork overlooking Sand Dollar Beach on California's Big Sur coast in Monterey county

Like most surfers who’ve visited the area, I’ve collected some great memories of this place over the years. I’d wondered about painting this rock outcropping overlooking the beach for a long time. The last time I tromped around it there was quite a few years back and there was no trail that I can recall, […]…

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If These Walls Could Speak

Plein air artwork from the cove at Rincon Point on the Santa Barbara/Ventura coast of southern California

This is a busy place. Especially after spending a week painting in virtual solitude on one of our offshore islands. Back to humanity. Parking lots. Attitudes. Spandex bikers. Beach joggers. Warring 12 year olds. Addicts teetering on the razor’s edge of their future. Social media selfie hounds. Freeway traffic. All of this and a perfectly […]…

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Time Waits for No Man… And Neither Does the Boat

Plein air artwork from Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park

I’ve heard it said that “time waits for no man”, well… neither does the boat. It was a pretty rushed scramble taking on this scene just before the boat was to depart for home. I was half-tempted to “miss the boat” just to stay a bit longer, but thought better of it. When I started […]

The North Shore

Plein air artwork from the Channel Islands National Park on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of southern California

After two days of painting one stretch of coast in this off-the-beaten-path outpost of California, I was eager to see a different part of it before leaving later this day. It would require a 2.2 mile hike, while “carrying a ton*” art supplies up and over the low hills without a soul in sight to […]

Moonlit Echoes

Plein air nocturne artwork of old schoolhouse at Becher's Bay on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of California

5th painting completed today… well sorta today. Technically I only did four during the daylight hours but then snuck this one in the late hours of night beneath a bright full moon. The moonlight falling on the crushed gravel paths makes walking these trails at night a beautiful experience. The reflective white surface of the […]…

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Torrey Pine Sentinel

Plein air artwork of a torrey pine tree over Becher's Bay on Santa Rosa island off the coast of southern California

When most folks hear the words “Torrey Pines” they think as much about a rare variety of pine tree as they do a very specific location in San Diego- the state park named for the tree and often touted as the only place in the world where these trees grow. But don’t worry, I’m not […]…

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Beside Clear Waters

Plein air artwork of Torrey pine tree over Black Rock on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of southern California

This irresistible cove is overlooked by a rare Torrey Pine. I find myself today among the only Torrey Pine trees that exist outside of San Diego. The hillside behind me contains a dense grove. I was drawn to this one, standing alone beside these clear waters. It seemed to me a bit of a fragile […]

Our Farther

Plein air artwork from the trail to Skunk Point on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of southern California

I usually grumble about my heavy pack whenever I have to hike more than a mile. This turned out to be a six mile round trip to make this painting happen. But I could not complain about the heavy pack this time. My hiking companions on this morning sunrise walk were a couple of scientist […]…

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We Must Keep Our Eyes Open

Plein air artwork of view of Skunk Point and Santa Cruz island from Santa Rosa Island off the coast of California

We must keep our eyes open. First two syllables: We-muh. Wordplay for the name of the tribe that lived here for thousands of years before they were scooped up and sent away to make room for sheep and cattle and now a national park. The opportunity to come visit this place was part of a […]…

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The Gambler’s Fallacy

Plein air artwork from Point Lobos near Carmel on the Monterey coast of California

One of California’s prized state parks. I arrived early, knowing the park fills up to capacity nearly every day with a line of cars waiting to enter. I’d made it on time, but my van was too long. Denied. I had a long way to drive that day, and a boat to catch tomorrow that […]…

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The Long View

Plein air artwork looking toward the Long Marine Lab on the Santa Cruz coast of Central California

Sometimes a painting or a place stirs up more of a poem instead of any sort of story. Not sure what I was thinking here, but when I pulled up my notes on this one, this poem is all I had written down. Make of it what you will… — Bones of old shipsLeft basking […]…

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Pure and Simple

Plein air artwork from the hiking trails at Purisima point on the San Mateo coast of Central California

One of my favorite things when I’m out on the road (or at home for that matter) is finding a new trail to access a piece of coast I haven’t seen before. I’d seen some new trailheads on a previous trip past this stretch of private agricultural coastal bluffs and made a mental note to […]…

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A Wide Range

Plein air painting of a cattle ranch at Drake's Estero at Point Reyes National Park on the Marin coast of California

The fourth painting completed in one long day spent in solitude, hunting views and painting in one of the most beautiful parts of California I can think of. I’ve driven past this little ranch nestled along a finger of this estuary and always thought it would make a nice painting. The day was fading fast, […]

Nova Albion

Plein air artwork of Point Reyes National Park on the Marin coast of northern California

Plein air painting in strong winds is indeed a sport. Especially on the edge of a steep cliff. Painters know the challenges, but most folks just see finished paintings during their 10 seconds of social media fame and think whether they like it or not. Whether they should type a comment, hit the like button, […]…

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Her New Road

Plein air painting of a road to the beach at Point Reyes National Park on the Marin coast of Northern California

I imagine it was only a seasonal closure, something about nesting birds on the sand dunes, but it rattled my whole game plan. This isn’t a place one just passes through on the way down the coast, you have to really make the effort to get off the beaten path to find yourself out here. […]…

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The Light at the End

Plein air artwork of the Cypress Tree Tunnel at Point Reyes National Park on the Marin coast of northern California

First of four paintings I’d paint this day in one of my favorite parts of California. Thick morning fog prevented me from seeing the views I came for so I went with my standard back up plan- wander around aimlessly and grumble about that old nemesis- the Great Northern Pacific Marine Layer. Mid grumble I […]

Geological Chess: The King and His Rookery

Plein air oil painting artwork of Pebble Beach in Crescent City on the Del Norte Coast of northern California

I rarely paint with oils, but I’ve done several over the last few years, sneaking them in to the mix here and there as I feel like it, just to remind myself that the grass really isn’t any greener in oils, the morning dew just takes a lot longer to dry. Most of my paintings […]…

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Unagi

Plein air artwork of the mouth of the Eel River at Crab Park in Humboldt County, California

This is from a quiet little beach near our home. The inlet to the sea out there was letting these perfect little 8-inch waves into the bay and watching them spin along this quiet beach is a rather hypnotic way to spend an afternoon. These flat and expansive beach landscapes have always given me trouble […]

Moonlight Sessions

Plein air nocturne artwork of city lights over San Diego Harbor at Kate Sessions Park in San Diego

Fueled up after a feast at Besta Wan Pizza in Cardiff, and armed with a headlamp, moral support from my pals in mischief Pierce and Petra Kavanagh, and further fueled by the french fries and milkshakes they brought back after dropping me off in this park just up the way from a pack of howling […]…

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