Seal Rock, OB SF

Seal Rock 16 x 20 Acrylic Ala Prima Had an intense day of wind at this spot on the north end of Ocean Beach, SF. I have been pummeled by coastal winds on a few occasions over the course of my plein aire practice, most notably the time on the bluffs just north of Muir Beach. I usually say a quick prayer to St. Monet, grit my teeth and hold on to the canvas with one hand and my painting  knife in the other and just power through it. My paint box was filling up with sand and the wind was cutting right through me, but I managed to get through it. This was my first painting with Cerulean blue for the sky (recommended by Leah, one of Marina’s seniors from her work). As I was leaving the spot, the wind ripped the painting off the easel and it went rapidly sailing down the beach! Luckily it was already blow dried and cooked by the intense UV rays. I headed up to Simple Pleasures cafe for some warmth and caffeine. I parked and lo and behold discovered two nice 11 x 14 frames discarded on the sidewalk. Score! Hung out at the cafe for a while. It took about a half an hour before I stopped shivering and I returned to normal body temperature. Fun to laugh about it now.