Plein air artwork of the coast at Little Dume on the Malibu coast of Los Angeles County, California

What Lies Behind

A friend I had just met earlier at an event in San Diego invited me for a rare visit to this exclusive piece of California’s coast. I absorbed it with all my senses as we surfed all morning and I painted all afternoon.⠀

So what exactly does lie behind these locked gates? Here’s a few things that come to mind…⠀

There’s bamboo and nasturtiums⠀
Shelter from the wind⠀
The rich and the famous⠀
And a few of their kin⠀

They’ll question you silently⠀
Check who you’re with⠀
To be sure that you’re nobody⠀
So they know who to dismiss.⠀

There’s a boathouse on stilts⠀
A pretty woman walking down the street⠀
Surfers walking back up the beach⠀
Blood still dripping from the soles of their feet⠀

There’s yoga pants and selfies to shoot⠀
A slippery rock holds a sign full of laws⠀
Merely suggestions for the leashless dog⠀
That nearly got paint all over its paws⠀

There’s fires burning on the higher hills⠀
Smoke blowing out of the canyon⠀
Heroes and children stand watch at the gate⠀
With garden hose, bucket… and shotgun⠀

There’s black cars with blacker windows⠀
Caviar and music for the blind⠀
Leave your shoes at the door, my friend⠀
All this and more⠀
Is what lies behind


What Lies Behind


Original Size: 20" x 16"
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Year Painted: 2019

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ADDITIONAL ARTWORK INFORMATION:


Method: Plein Air
Date Painted: 05/21/2019
Region: The California Coast > Southern California > Los Angeles
Road Trip: Maycember 2019

ARTWORK LOGISTICS:


Miles Hiked: Less than 1 Mile
Access Logitics: Private Property
(Painted With Permission)
Geological Hazards: Awkward Footing on Uneven Terrain
Biological Hazards: Unruly Dogs
Anthropological Hazards: Surfers Are The Worst


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