We have been back for a few days and the contrast between the cool, overcast coast and the sunny, hot weather here makes me feel like summer has finally arrived. We’ve even harvested a few ripe tomatoes! After such a cool spring and early summer we were beginning to wonder if it would ever get toasty here, like it usually does. The folks at the coast said their summer lasted about two weeks and fresh tomatoes never cross their minds.

When we left here the air was full of smoke from all the forest fires so we welcomed the clean air from the ocean and felt blessed that the usual wind was not whipping up the sand. I was able to set up my easel, at the top of the path leading to the beach from our motel, and peacefully paint all morning without fear of the wind upsetting everything… or shifting shadows, or sun glare on my wet canvas! I was struck by how vibrant the yellow flowers were on such a gray day and so they became the “star” of my composition. Below are a few shots of the painting’s progression which show how I had to mute things down all around the yellow in order to get it to “pop”.